


Linewalkers

by FlamingLeaf



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Ghosts, Young Uzumaki Naruto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27909193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlamingLeaf/pseuds/FlamingLeaf
Summary: Once upon a blue moon a soul managed to escape death' cold grip and descended back onto the mortal plane.Tobirama's duty might not be as done as he thought - but it's pretty hard to change things when you have been reduced to a ghost.Luckily enough there just happens to be a blond child who seems so similar to his beloved brother.
Comments: 125
Kudos: 229





	1. I: The Nidaime Hokage 1

**Author's Note:**

> **AU Fanfiction Warning:** I will be changing things (concepts, workings of affinities, major plot points etc.) This story is not a retelling of the canon story! If you want to read yet another everything-happens-as-it-always-does fanfiction, this is not the right place for you to be.
> 
> If you decide that the story is not for you at any point of time - cool, no hard feelings, but please don't go off ranting about "Things not being canon." I don't need lectures on the source material, I know it. I just want to write an AU.
> 
> What you can expect: Lots of bonding, fluffy and sad moments, no romance to take away the main focus, and an engaging plot.
> 
> Depending on the story's development, the rating might be upped to M later.

## Book I: The Nidaime Hokage

* * *

_Nobody knew why it happened. Nobody knew how it happened. But sometimes it just did. Maybe because it was of the energy saturating the world. Perhaps it was the will of a higher power. But sometimes, once upon a blue moon, it happened. A soul managed to escape death' cold grip and descended back onto the mortal plane. Forever chained between worlds they remained. Cursed to walk the thin border between this world and the Beyond, reduced to mere shadows of their former selves. Ghosts, In-Betweeners, Linewalkers, unseen by all._

_Until the very day a desperate father called for Death itself - and received an answer._

* * *

The translucent figure stood motionless on top of the Shodai's head, looking down at the village below, vigilant and tall, as if standing guard over it.

Naruto could not see it's expression from his place on the Fourth' memorial, but he could almost feel the sad pride surrounding the strong frame and he found himself eerily reminded of his jiji. He had seen the Third standing at the window of the Hokage tower doing the exactly same thing more than once.

The young boy was curious. What was this apparition, and why did it look so sad? Slowly he rose from his seated position and walked towards the strange figure. It seemed to have sensed his approach and turned it's head into Naruto's direction and the child realized that the human-shaped apparition was actually a middle-aged man. Grey eyes rested on him and Naruto could the tightly-leashed emotions in the man's insubstantial gaze. Pride. Longing. Sadness - and another one Naruto was most familiar with. Loneliness.

The child immediately decided that he would help the man get rid of that particular feeling, because he knew firsthand just how bad that one felt.

There was a strange apathy in the man's gaze, as if he was looking at Naruto but not actually _seeing_ him. The child did not like that. Nobody should look that empty.

The man turned his head back and wordlessly resumed his silent sentry. Naruto's gaze followed his, and he smiled involuntarily.

Konoha. His home. His village. His to watch, to love and one day - his to protect. Perhaps then people would finally respect him. Acknowledge him.

"It's a nice view," he commented lightly and sat down on the warm stone next to the man.

The man stilled and his posture became more rigid as he slowly looked at the boy seated next to him. "What did you say?"

Naruto tilted his head and met the man's gaze with his own. "It's a nice view."

Grey eyes widened slightly in surprise and the man stepped closer, completely alert now. "You can see me?", he asked, his voice tinted with a strange mixture of amazement, authority and hope.

"Um, yes?" Naruto answered confusedly. The man was right here. A bit translucent perhaps, but he was there. So why should he not be able to see him?

For several moments the man just stared at him and Naruto had to suppress the sudden urge to fidget under his scrutiny. There was just so much _presence_ in this man that he felt somewhat intimidated.

But then the stranger smiled slightly and Naruto felt himself relax again. "How...unexpected," the man mused, "I did not expect this possibility."

"Uh, why?" Naruto asked in a puzzled voice. "You're here."

"Ghosts are normally invisible, child," the man answered calmly.

"What... ** _Ghosts_**?!" Naruto instinctively jumped backwards, completely forgetting that he was currently sitting on the floor. So instead of making a nice strategic withdrawal, his evasive maneuver only resulted in a rather ungraceful fall onto his back and he found himself staring at the man - _ghost_? from a reclined position.

Who eyed the child with a distinctively amused expression. "Yes, child. _Ghosts_."

"They are real?!" Naruto exclaimed, equally surprised and horrified at that notion and so overwhelmed by that discovery, that he did not even think about standing up again.

"Not many, but a few," the man confirmed and gave the child in front of him a rather pointed look.

"How long do you intent to stay like this?" he asked drily.

Naruto jumped hastily to his feet and rubbed his neck in embarrassment. "So ehm...I am Naruto Uzumaki and who are you?"

The man smirked slightly, "You are standing on my brother's head, child."

"Your brother's...," Naruto repeated and stared down at the stone beneath him.

Feeling a jot of sudden realization, his head whipped up again and he stared at the still smirking man.

" _Nidaime_?!"

The man's smirk became even more pronounced. "Indeed."

* * *

Tobirama Senju had never expected to end up like this. When he had found himself suddenly floating in the middle of Konoha he had first thought that he was dreaming and he would have believed it, too. If there was not one tiny reason that made it impossible. Dead people did not dream and they could not be captured in a genjutsu, either.

So whatever this was, it was real. At a complete loss on what to do, Tobirama had floated aimlessly around the village, trying to talk to people. But nobody seemed to see him, or even hear him. Despondent about being completely alone, Tobirama had visited the Hokage's office and had spent many hours watching his pupil going about his business.

He was not too happy with the things he saw. Konoha had changed after his death and not for the better - and on top of that the Uchiha clan seemed to be rather restless.

So Tobirama was worried, but there was nothing he could do. He was for all intents and purposes, dead.

Sad, worried and tired as he was, he had retreated into the outskirts of the village, resigned to be unheard and unseen until time ended or death reclaimed his wandering soul.

But then, unexpectedly, he had met him. Uzumaki Naruto - and the child could see him. Talk with him - and suddenly Tobirama did not feel so lonely anymore.

* * *

"Just what is that atrocity supposed to be? Your left side is completely open."

Naruto jumped in surprise and whirled around. He had known the Nidaime for two months now, but he was still not used to the ghost's random appearances. "Ah, you scared me!" he complained loudly, waving his arms around to empathize his point.

The Second simply raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the boy's antics."And you did not answer my question."

Naruto grumbled and turned to face the ghost "Sensei taught me. What's wrong with that style?"

Tobirama furrowed his brows. "Your sensei? Are you sure he taught it to you like _this_?"

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, "He said it was important to keep the angle."

"I see," the Nidaime answered slowly, "I shall accompany you to class tomorrow. I want to see just _what_ they teach you there."

Naruto suddenly seemed very nervous. "Eh...don't you have anything better to do?"

Grey eyes studied the fidgeting child in front of him with sharp interest. "No," he answered simply, "I don't."

"Are you really sure that you want to come?" Naruto asked again as he grabbed his backpack. "It will probably be very boring for you."

"Yes. I _am_ sure," the Second replied firmly. Naruto sighed and stopped protesting. He knew what _that_ tune meant, the former Hokage had made up his mind and would not be dissuaded.

Carefully locking his door behind him, Naruto left for the academy, a ghostly figure walking right next to him.

* * *

There was definitely something going on. It was evident in the way the passers-by interacted with his young companion or - more precisely - in the complete _lack_ of interaction. It was as if there was an invisible wall separating the child from the rest of the citizens. It was nothing really obvious. Just simple things. Like people giving him way more space than others, turned backs when he passed by or the occasional cold or disapproving look. But Tobirama's sharp gaze missed nothing. He glanced at the boy next him. He was still showing his cheerful grin, but it seemed somewhat strained and did not really reach his eyes. 'A mask', the ghost thought quietly. A well-crafted one, but not well enough to fool him. The child was hurting. He could see it clearly.

Uzumaki Naruto. _Uzumaki_. The same clan as his brother's wife. Could it be? Was he related to his brother? To him? Was he carrying her burden? Judging by the people's reactions he had a strong inkling that at least the last question could be answered with a yes. Why else would they shun him?

Tobirama frowned in displeasure and was secretly rather relieved that his brother was not here to witness this. He would have been incensed at such behavior - and Tobirama himself was less than pleased, as well.

Making the one person carrying enormous military power unhappy with his own village was not a wise strategy and practically screamed for trouble.

'And no child deserves to be treated like this,' his brother's quiet voice added in his head and Tobirama found himself unconsciously agreeing with him.

The academy gates were now appearing in front of him and Tobirama's attention returned to the current happenings. Everything else could wait.

* * *

The kunai missed its target by at least six inches. Naruto narrowed his eyes in determination and tried again.

Miss.

Someone behind him giggled. The teacher remained quiet. "Next!" he ordered sharply. Sighing quietly Naruto picked the tools up and made way for the next child

"You need to bend your wrist more, Akira," Sumio-sensei told the boy who had almost managed to hit bulls-eye, "but good job."

Naruto flopped down on the grass and leaned against the wall. It was always the same thing. His peers got a nice evaluation, a tip to get better and he got stony silence. Something flickered next to him and he turned his head slightly to see the Nidaime standing next to him. There was a slight displeased frown on the man's face as he watched the proceedings.

"Uzumaki!" his teacher snapped sharply, "If you don't want to participate, you can wait inside."

"Yes sensei," Naruto answered automatically and stood up, grumbling silently at the unfairness. It was not like he was the only one sitting down.

Several snickers followed him as he returned to his classroom where he immediately climbed on the windowsill. At least he could watch the training ground from this position.

"That was uncalled for." The Nidaime's intangible form appeared behind him.

Naruto shrugged. "I'm used to it."

"This is a regular occurrence?"

"Yes," Naruto answered matter-of-factly, eyes firmly fixed on the scene behind the glassy wall. "I always do something wrong," he added quietly.

"Have you told someone about this?" the Nidaime inquired sharply, trying to meet the child's evasive eyes on the transparent reflection.

"They don't listen," Naruto replied after a moment of silence and it sounded like he was talking about so much more than just his problems at school. "But it's okay. I'll get stronger and protect them all and then they will _want_ to listen. "

_'People rarely listen, brother. You have to make them. But never through violence. Guide them, protect them and they will lent you their ear.'_

Tobirama stared at the child who reminded him so much of his brother and he could have sworn that he had just seen Hashirama's face looking back at him from the stainless window.

* * *

Naruto glanced over his cup of ramen to the man standing at the window. His companion was strangely quiet. Not that he usually talked much. The ghost did not have a habit of indulging in useless conversations. But this complete silence was new to him. He had hardly spoken since the moment in the classroom - and that had been three days ago. Instead the ghost had been watching him as he went about his day, measuring him with strange looks, as if trying to figure out a puzzle.

Somehow it made him feel like he was being judged. It was unnerving. He had tried his best to ignore the man's new-found hobby, but it was practically impossible to overlook the Nidaime's imposing presence. It just demanded attention.

Naruto anxiously bit his lips, torn between asking if everything was right and not wanting to disturb the man's clearly deep thoughts.

But before he could make up his mind, the man's shoulders suddenly straightened and he turned around, catching Naruto's uneasy gaze with stern eyes.

"Your lack of education is unacceptable and I refuse to spend an indefinite amount of time with an uneducated child."

Naruto swallowed and unconsciously lowered his head, staring at the bottom of the empty ramen cup.

"Get your gear," the ghost ordered sharply. "I want to see just how much damage-control I will have to do."

Naruto's head whipped up and for several seconds he just stared in stunned disbelief as his mind refused to process the man's words, before he jumped up and scrambled to follow the order.

The ghost eyed the panting child with critical eyes. It was not as bad as he had feared, but the child _had_ only been attending the academy for several months. Still, the lack of correct instruction was visible. It was good that he had decided to interfere now, a bit later and the wrong stances would have been integrated too deeply to easily correct.

Naruto clearly had talent, but his inability to remain focused on things that did not interest him was somewhat irritating. He would have to teach him patience and discipline.

Nodding slightly to himself, Tobirama addressed his newest student. "We will stop here for today. You still have homework to do. Go and clean yourself up. You have fifteen minutes."

"Yes, sensei."

He watched as the child straightened himself and obediently scampered into the direction of the bathroom, grumbling silently about annoying homework.

* * *

"Being a shinobi means being deceptive," the Nidaime lectured as Naruto carefully guided the brush over his paper, trying to write the kanji for moon. "Shinobi do not follow the samurai's code of honor, although we generally have our own set of morals, even if they sometimes tend to be somewhat...flexible."

Naruto shifted slightly and glanced at the man walking up and down in front of him. "Shinobi are usually not upfront about their skills and while they strife to appear competent, they will always keep a hidden ace up their sleeves. Never let an enemy know everything you can do, or he will find a way to counter you and you will become vulnerable."

The Nidaime stopped and fixed Naruto with a stern glance. "Do you understand what I am trying to say?"

"I think so," Naruto answered slowly, using his free hand to rub his neck. "You want me to hide some of the things I can do, but not everything."

He tilted his head. "Where are you going with this, sensei?"

The ghost smirked slightly. "Good, you are learning." He stepped closer to his student and placed both of his hands on the tabletop. Naruto distantly wondered why they were not passing right through it.

"I want you to continue keeping me a secret. If someone finds out about this ability of yours, you might be in danger."

"In danger, sensei?" Naruto was confused. Why would people knowing about his sensei be dangerous?

"Yes, Naruto, _danger_ ," the Nidaime answered, subtly moving into the child's personal space. "We do not know where this ability of yours comes from. We do not know if you can see anyone but me. But there are people out there - _bad_ people - who would not hesitate to hurt you just to figure this out."

Naruto shrank into his seat, staring wide-eyed at the man in front of him. Hurt him? They would hurt him? He swallowed and nodded rapidly. "I won't tell." He wouldn't.

The Nidaime studied the child's expression and obviously satisfied with whatever he had found, he easily stepped back and allowed Naruto some breathing room. "Good. Now get down and meditate."

Naruto obeyed immediately, more than eager to escape the man's scrutiny. His teacher was really _intense_.

He settled down on the floor and closed his eyes, trying to keep still. But suddenly his right foot started to itch and he found himself shuffling around.

"Don't fidget," the Second reprimanded him and Naruto felt something cold passing through his shoulders. He shuddered and for a second he wished that his teacher's hands were real. He really would have preferred being held down to this cold sensation. As if sensing his discomfort, the Nidaime stepped back and started to talk him through a breathing exercise.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

Naruto's body felt very warm and his fingers prickled pleasantly. He tried to latch onto the warm feeling and attempted to follow it as it coursed through his veins in a gentle, yet powerful flow. He submerged himself into and as he sunk deeper and deeper, the soft warm trickle slowly turned into an endlessly wide yellow stream.

Tobirama felt an unexpected surge of pride as his student started to glow in a soft yellow light. Yes, Naruto was definitely talented.

"Passable."

Naruto sighed in relief and looked at the small stone pendant sitting innocently on the table-top. The surface was littered with thin, intricate brush-lines, connecting and intersecting until they formed one single complex seal.

"And this is really going to help with my chakra control, sensei?", Naruto asked in disbelief.

"Try focusing chakra into it," the Nidaime instructed and walked closer.

Naruto concentrated on the warm feeling and guided it towards the pendant. It started to glow in a somewhat murky, almost black, yellow.

Curiously he looked at his teacher.

"Depending on the amount of chakra you push into it the pendant will glow in a different color. It is almost black now, because your chakra is completely uncontrolled and unrefined. The better your control gets, the clearer and brighter the color will become. I want you to practice until you manage to turn it bright yellow."

Naruto slumped down slightly. "That's _so_ boring. Do I really have to?"

The Nidaime pinned him with a very stern look. "Yes." Then he paused and considered the displeased child in front of him. "But I suppose focusing for so long will be rather difficult for you. Perhaps you need an incentive..."

"Incentive?" Naruto repeated warily, suddenly getting a huge feeling of foreboding.

"Yes.", the ghost smirked slightly. "Until you have mastered this task you will not be allowed any ramen."

"WHAT?" Naruto screamed, jumping up in outrage. "Sensei, you can't! That's too mean!"

"I can and I will," the ghost replied calmly, looking decidedly unimpressed at the young boy's outburst. "Now get working."

"Oh, and Naruto?" the ghost added as the child sunk despondently on the floor. "For this little tantrum of yours, you will be copying rule fifteen down one hundred times. Do not let your emotions rule your actions."

Naruto whimpered. Why did his teacher have to be so cruel?


	2. I: The Nidaime Hokage 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news, my lecture was canceled today, so I unexpectedly had some time to write. Well...I should have probably used that time for studying...but meh. *xD*

"You are improving," Tobirama commented offhandedly when Naruto's pendant turned into a dark yellow color. The young boy smiled brightly.

The last three weeks had been particularly gruesome. Tobirama had kept true to his word and Naruto had not been allowed to eat even a single noodle. It was torture, at least in his opinion. But in a rare bout of wisdom, Naruto had kept this complaint to himself. His sensei would not have appreciated it.

"I believe it is time for the next step of your training."

Naruto's head snapped up. "Really?!" he asked excitedly.

"Yes," the Nidaime answered calmly. "Follow me."

Naruto had not be told twice.

* * *

"Um, sensei?" Naruto curiously glanced at the trees surrounding him. "What are we doing here? And _where_ are we?"

"The village outskirts, " Tobirama answered calmly. "My brother and I used to spend our time here when we were children. "

Naruto tried to picture his teacher as a child but failed horribly. He just could not equate this serious man with ever being young.

"And we are here so you can learn how to combat. "

Naruto immediately stopped his unsuccessful imaginative attempts at mentally drawing a young Nidaime in favor of focusing on the real elder version. „You are teaching me how to fight?" Naruto's eyes sparkled.

"I am," the Nidaime agreed. "Since I am physically not capable of sparring with you, we shall do it…differently."

"How?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I will come to that soon. Before that we need to discuss something else," the man leveled Naruto with a serious look. "Are you aware of the crystal ball in the Hokage's office?"

Naruto scrunched his face in thought. "That weird thing he keeps on a cushion?" Naruto had seen it quite often but never really thought about it. He had always assumed that his jiji kept it as some sort of strange decoration. The man had a weird taste like that - there was not even a spot of orange in his office, for kami's sake. How could that not be strange?

The Nidaime's lips twitched at that description. "This _weird thing_ is keyed to the village barriers and allows him to view everything that happens within this village."

Naruto froze. Everything that happens in this village? _Everything_?

His eyes widened in horror. "He can…he can see me using the _bathroom_?!"

"Well," the Second replied dryly. "I do believe that he stops watching once it comes to that, but essentially…yes."

* * *

Tobirama watched his student as he worked through the implications of his words. He wondered if Naruto was going to figure out the problem he was hinting at on his own. Granted, he could have just told him outright, but it would not help Naruto to be spoon-fed his answers.

He wanted the child to grow and for that Naruto needed to learn to _think on his own_. Tobirama wanted him to reach his own conclusions. To form his own opinions, plans and solutions.

Because he was not just teaching another soldier to mindlessly obey orders.

Tobirama was forming a _leader_.

* * *

Naruto swallowed. Oh kami. That meant jiji could have seen everything he had done? All his pranks?

Was he watching right now? Was he watching while he was talking to…

His head snapped up. "So he could see us right now?"

Something like approval shimmered in his sensei's eyes. "Indeed." Naruto felt a surge of pride at being correct. It did not last long because he realized that it was practically impossible now to train in secret, unless…

His eyes widened as the realization hit him.

His sensei did bring him to this place for a reason.

Tobirama smirked and rose. "I see you understand. Good. Follow me. There is something I want to show you."

* * *

Naruto obediently followed the ghost as he floated deeper into the woods. There was the sound of running water ahead. They were close to the stream.

Tobirama stopped next to a rock formation. "Take out the pendant you made," he ordered.

Confused, Naruto took out the stone bead and looked at his sensei.

Who pointed at a flat stone. "Put it on there and channel your chakra into it."

Naruto crouched down and placed the pendant carefully on the middle of the stone. Narrowing his eyes, he gently coaxed the warmth in him to obey.

Thin lines started to appear, slowly crawling over the stone's surface. His pendant glowed and Naruto stared in awe as the trees in front of him vanished and a small path emerged.

"Take the pendant and go on."

Naruto obeyed eagerly. He loved exploring secret places!

* * *

The winding path took them higher and higher until they were finally standing on a wide ledge overlooking Konoha.

Naruto's eyes widened and he ran forward to look down. "That view is even better than from the Hokage mountain!"

The ghost stepped next to him and looked down at the village, eyes clouded with both pride and sadness. "Yes."

Naruto glanced at him. His sensei's posture reminded him of the time he had first met him. Lonely and distant.

"My brother and I called it the _Mountain of Dreams_ ," Tobirama began quietly, his voice carrying through the air with the weight of an important yet faded memory. "It was here that he first expressed his desire for peace. It was this place he came to when the darkness of the world overwhelmed him, and he needed to find the strength to go on. It was his sanctuary. The tree you see over there." Tobirama turned and pointed towards the tall, majestic oaken tree in the middle of the ledge. "Was the first tree he ever grew."

Naruto followed his gaze. "It looks so strong!"

Tobirama smiled softly. The harsh lines in his face eased and for a moment decades of hardship seemed to fall from him, making him look so much younger. "It carries the strength of my brother's dream. To bring an end to the circle of hatred and peace to the world. So that children don't have to fight anymore."

"Peace to the world…" Naruto muttered quietly, slowly stepping towards the tree. He stretched his hand out and hesitated, before laying it gently against the trunk. It was a fleeting and reverent touch, but it lasted long enough for Naruto to feel the happy approval of his solemn oath. "This circle… I swear I will break it - and I never go back on my word. _Believe it._ "

* * *

Tobirama had hesitated about bringing Naruto here. This place had been his brother's sanctuary. His sanctuary. It meant the world to both of them and the idea of sharing it with someone had been unsettling.

He had never brought anyone here. Neither did his brother. They had kept this place as a secret between them and guarded it jealously. Because it was something that only belonged to them.

But this child was different. He was so similar to Hashirama that it both hurt and comforted him. They might not share looks, but at their _hearts_ they were the same.

It was that similarity that drove him to teach Naruto in the first place and now that he watched the child solemnly swear himself to the same cause his brother had believed in, he felt like he had never made a better choice.

* * *

"I am going to teach you the shadow clone technique. It will allow you to form a solid clone, so you can spar with each other." Tobirama's eyes bore into the child's eyes. "It is a very dangerous and _forbidden_ technique so you will _not_ use it without my explicit permission. And you will only use it on the ledge. If I catch you using it on your own, I will be _very_ displeased. Do you understand?"

Naruto swallowed and nodded. "Understood." The Nidaime was the last person he wanted to be angry at him. His sensei could be _very_ scary, even without a solid body. But now that he was getting more and more tangible, Naruto really did not want to get on his bad side.

"Good," the man rose. "Now, pay attention."

* * *

Tobirama watched as his young charge sparred with his own clone. His movements were still rather sloppy, and his defense was glaringly open, but he was coming along quite nicely.

Granted, the shadow clone technique was not the best way to teach the child how to fight. Naruto was practically fighting against himself, so his opponent's mindset was exactly the same and if he hit to hard, his clone would dispel. But for now, it would do.

At least until he had gained enough presence to teach the child himself. He already felt stronger each day. It was strange. He never expected to be more than an unseen, powerless ghost. But now, the longer he spent with the child, the stronger he became. He could already feel the faint echo of a very familiar warmth flowing through him.

His chakra was coming back.

Tobirama allowed himself a faint smile. It seemed liked things were starting to look up.

Across the clearing Naruto burst his clone.

* * *

Weeks passed by and autumn came, fallen leaves painting the streets in red and gold. Naruto looked out of the window. People were busily mingling about, and the sound of laughter and drunken singing carried through the transparent wall.

It was that time again. The Kyuubi festival. One of Konoha's biggest festivals, always celebrated on the same day. His birthday. But it was never for him. Never with him.

Blue unseeing eyes were fixed on the blood-red letters painted on the street in front of his house and Naruto felt a single tear trickling down his cheek as the cruel message burnt itself into his mind.

**DIE DEMON**

A cool hand came to rest on his head. It did not pass through. Naruto leaned into the touch and cried.

* * *

"Sensei?" Naruto asked quietly once he had calmed down. "Do you think I could graduate early?"

The Nidaime moved his hand to the child's shoulder and fixed him with a serious gaze. "What brought this on?"

Naruto lowered his head. "It…I..I want to get stronger," he answered softly. "I want to prove myself. I just can't…" His eyes flickered to the window.

_'I just can't take it anymore.'_

The words went unsaid, but Tobirama understood them just as well. His lips thinned and his grip on the child tightened. "Very well," he agreed calmly. "We will up your training. Be prepared."

Naruto could have cried in relief. "Thank you," he muttered sincerely and rested his head against the man's chest. _Thank you for everything._

Tobirama smiled grimly. He was turning another child into a killer and the child was thanking him for it.

"Sorry Hashi," he whispered quietly over the sleeping child's head.

Hashirama smiled sadly in his mind.

* * *

"I am proud of you, Naruto," the Hokage told him later that day when he brought the boy a bowl of birthday ramen. "You are improving rather rapidly."

Naruto beamed at him. "I spent lots of time practicing, jiji. I even go to the library!"

"That you did," the Hokage agreed calmly - and had this not been a surprise on his own? Naruto not only willing picking up a book, but visiting a _library_? He had nearly dropped his pipe when he had seen _that_ in the crystal ball.

It seemed like there was way more of his father in him, than he thought.

Tobirama snorted lightly. He was leaning against the windowsill, watching his two students interact with each other. There was an interesting dynamic between them. It seemed like his old student cared for the young child – at least to a certain degree. He wondered how much of this care stemmed from true affection and how much from guilt. There was no doubt that Hiruzen had failed the child - and if Tobirama was honest with himself, he was disappointed in his old student. He was the Hokage, the highest authority and yet he was unable to keep his own people in line and allowed Konoha to fall to this state. It was unacceptable.

There were a lot of choice words Tobirama had to say to him, but luckily enough for Hiruzen, he was not able to see him.

He could probably get Naruto to play translator for him, but that would mean telling their secret. Something he had no intention of doing.

That reminded him, he really needed to teach Naruto some sign language. He made a mental note to fit it into their future lessons.

"Jiji," his charge suddenly began. "I want to try for early graduation."

Surprise flitted over the Third's face. "Early graduation? But why Naruto? There is no need for you to graduate early. Why don't you enjoy your childhood a bit more?"

"Because I want to prove myself!" the young child answered firmly. "I want them to accept me and…and I don't want to wait anymore…"

The Hokage's eyes softened and he sighed. "If this is what you want, I will not stop you. You may try."

"Really?!"

"Yes," the Third smiled slightly. "I will take care of the paperwork. Now I believe we need some more ramen, right?"

"Yes!" Naruto agreed enthusiastically.


	3. I: The Nidaime Hokage 3

It was two weeks later when Naruto hit a roadblock. A Roadblock named Bunshin no Jutsu.

No matter what he tried, he could just not get it done. His clones, if he managed to produce them, looked flimsy and ill and lasted no longer than a second.

Tobirama was at a loss, as well. He knew Naruto was making the correct signs and he had walked him through that jutsu step-by-step several times now.

It was a very simple technique, so simple it barely required any chakra at all - but perhaps, Tobirama mused as he watched his frustrated student, this was the problem. Naruto's chakra reserves were _massive_.

Maybe it was like trying to cut off a needle-thick slice of bread with a blunt butter knife - an impossible feat. Which was a problem, since producing a clone was a graduation requirement.

Making a snap decision, Tobirama told Naruto to stop. "You need to talk to Hiruzen."

"Talk to jiji?" Naruto asked, coming to a stand next to the man. "Why?"

"As it stands, you are incapable of using the regular clone technique. Which, in the long run, is inconsequential since you are already able to produce a shadow clone. This is, however, a forbidden technique and nothing you can learn without guidance. "

Naruto nodded slowly. It made sense. Even if his explanation had been slightly complicated. But Naruto was getting better in deciphering and matching his sensei's way of speaking.

"So I need him to provide me an excuse for learning it," he concluded, rather proud of being able to correctly use a grown-up word like provide.

"Indeed," Tobirama agreed. "And even if he does not hand you the shadow technique, he might come up with a different solution. Whatever it may be, take it and do not push it."

"Understood," Naruto answered, doing his best to look as solemn as his teacher.

"Good. Now, what was the sign for danger?"

* * *

Seeing the Hokage was normally not an easy feat. Unless you were a shinobi urgently reporting in, you had to fill in lots of forms and apply for an audience. Luckily, Naruto was an exception to this rule. He had been in and out of the Hokages office so often, that nobody really cared anymore about his presence - unless serious matters were being discussed.

But today was a slow day and Hiruzen was rather happy about getting a valid excuse to take a break from his paperwork.

"Naruto," he took out his pipe and smiled at the young child. "How are you?"

"I am good, jiji," the boy answered cheerfully. "And you?"

"Same old, same old," the Hokage replied, sounding rather amused. "Now what brings you here? It has been quite a while."

"Ah," Naruto smiled sheepishly and hopped on the chair. "I need your advice, jiji."

"Oh?" the Hokage looked interested. "On what? Are you having problems?"

"Kind of," Naruto answered and shrugged his shoulders. "It's the clone technique. I just can't get it to work. My clones always look sick."

The man hummed thoughtfully. "Can you show me?"

Naruto jumped up and formed the handseals. Three rather sickly-looking clones appeared next to him. They looked like death warmed over.

"I see," the old man murmured thoughtfully. "The handsigns are correct and I cannot detect any flaws in your execution. How much chakra are you using?"

"Not much," Naruto answered honestly and tilted his head.

"Less than I use for tree-walking," he clarified once he understood why the Nidaime was making the sign for tree behind the Hokage's head.

The Hokage raised an eyebrow. "You already know how to walk up trees?"

"Jup," Naruto answered cheerfully. "It's not _that_ hard," he added with a careless shrug. He was not lying. After the pendant exercise, he had gotten it down rather quickly.

A second eyebrow joined the first. "Well done."

Naruto would have beamed at the praise, but since he wanted to be more like his sensei, who – in his unbiased opinion- was super-awesome, he settled for a smile. "Thank you."

The Third nearly dropped his pipe in surprise at the almost modest reaction. Naruto was really turning out in surprising ways.

He coughed to cover his slight break of composure. "Since you are already capable of doing that, the problem does not seem to be with your control, but rather with your chakra itself. The clone technique does not require much chakra at all. This is one of the reasons, it is taught at the academy. But it appears that your natural chakra is too high to be lowered that far."

Naruto nodded. That was about the same thing his sensei had concluded. "So what can I do?"

That was the question he was here for.

"There is one technique that might be of help to you," the Hokage answered thoughtfully. "It was passed down by one of the former Hokages, the Nidaime himself. It is called the shadow clone technique. The chakra requirement is extremely high. Because of this, it is named as a forbidden technique."

The Hokage rose from his seat. "But I believe, it might just be the right thing for you."

Tobirama smirked.

Naruto cheered silently.

Mission accomplished.

* * *

Konoha had always been a village of many secrets. Secrets, the general population was not privy to. Some of them were restricted to shinobi, others to the village's elite, and the most important of them were only known by the Hokage himself.

One of these Hokage-only secrets was the knowledge of the archive below the Hokage monument. It did not contain things like citizen records or mission reports, but rather more sensitive information crucial to the village's security. Like the seals used to form the village's protective barrier. Or records of incidents that, by official statement, had not happened at all.

Tobirama floated through the hidden entrance into the vast stone room. His eyes flickered to the torches lining the walls. They were still lit.

He smiled sadly as he remembered the day Mito-san had crafted them.

" _These torches are called Everlights," she had told him. "We use them everywhere in Uzu."_

" _Everlights?" he had asked, and Mito-san had smiled her soft, gentle smile._

" _Once lit they will never extinguish. They will keep on burning - even if we are no more. "_

" _Of course, they will," his brother had added." The Will of Fire is not easily extinguished."_

Tobirama shook his head to get rid of this strange melancholic feeling that had suddenly overcome him. This was not the right time to lose his focus.

He walked past four doors, each inscribed with the name of one Hokage, and stopped in front of the pedestal at the end of the room. There were three labeled pictures on it.

The first belonged to Mito-san. The second to a red-haired woman named Uzumaki Kushina and the third to a young boy he was most familiar with. Uzumaki Naruto.

He had been correct. The child he was teaching really jailed the Kyuubi – and he had no idea about it. Tobirama's lips thinned. Just _what_ had Hiruzen been thinking?!

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto was sitting on a brick wall, legs dangling down and cheerfully munching on a dango stick as he observed the people walking. His sensei had floated off somewhere else this morning to check on something and left him with the instructions to find a civilian to secretly trail.

While he was walking through the overfilled streets looking for a suitable target, he had encountered a dango stall and managed to snatch the last box.

Swinging his legs, he watched curiously as a black-haired boy approached the dango stall. There was something metallic glittering on his head. A headband!

That boy was a shinobi!

Instantly interested, Naruto inched slightly forward to listen in.

"Good afternoon. I would like to order one box, please. "

The owner gave him an apologetic look. "I am sorry, Uchiha-san, I am all out today. "

"Oh," the boy answered slowly, his shoulders dropping slightly. "Well, it cannot be helped, Thank you anyway. "

"If you come back tomorrow, I'll have new ones. ", the man assured him.

The boy nodded once and politely excused himself.

Naruto looked from the half-eaten stick in his hand to the still-full box next to him. Somehow, he felt bad. Making a spontaneous decision, Naruto turned until he was laying on his stomach and called for the elder boy.

"Psst. Hey, you. That Uchiha down there."

The boy stopped and slowly looked up. "Are you talking to me?"

"Yup." Naruto grinned at him, waving his dango stick invitingly. "I have a full box of dango here. Want to share? "

Black eyes widened. "Really? ", he asked sounding both reserved and hopeful at the same time.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed cheerfully. "Come up? Or should I come down?"

The boy answered by flickering out of sight and appearing right next to him.

"That was cool," Naruto complimented him sincerely and maneuvered himself back into a seating position. He grabbed the box and offered it to his new dango partner.

The older boy smiled slightly and sat down, gratefully reaching for one of the sticks. "Thank you."

"No problem," Naruto replied and grabbed his second one. "I am Naruto Uzumaki by the way and you?"

"Uchiha Itachi. Nice to meet you, Naruto-san."

"Same, Itachi-san."

There was a moment of comfortable silence as both children enjoyed their treats.

"If you don't mind me asking," Itachi began finally, throwing a curious look at the younger child. "What are you doing up here?"

Naruto shrugged around his rice ball and slowly chewed, before answering. "Relaxing."

Itachi stared at him "This is a ten-foot wall," he stated flatly, lowering his dango stick.

"Yep," Naruto gently shoved the box in Itachi's direction. "Good place to watch people."

It was a good place, Itachi agreed. Even if somewhat obvious. But then nobody expected someone as young as Naruto to watch them. "That's what you have been doing?"

"Yup." Naruto replied easily. "I am looking for a civilian to trail."

"You are doing stealth training?" the older boy paused in his acquisition of a second treat in favor of throwing Naruto an interested look.

Naruto hummed lightly. "Yup. But I didn't find an interesting target. They all look boring."

"Most of the time shadowing someone is an uninteresting duty," Itachi replied slowly, finally picking up the second dango stick. "It requires quite a lot of patience." He bit into his rice ball and chewed slowly.

Naruto sighed. "I am not a very patient person. I guess that's why I have been told to do this."

Itachi threw him a thoughtful look. "Then you should start with trailing after someone you already know. Keeping things more personal in the beginning might help you focus. People tend to be more invested in acquaintances than in strangers."

"Someone I know…", Naruto repeated.

There was another silence as he mused over Itachi's words. Who did he know that was not a ninja and someone he cared about? Of course! Teuchi-san! Maybe he could even watch him make ramen!

He grinned brightly. "That's brilliant! Thanks, Itachi-san!" He shoved the box with the three remaining sticks into the boy's hands. "Here take that."

Itachi stared at his unexpected cargo. "You are welcome Naruto-san, but that is not necessary."

"Just take it. I had enough anyway," Naruto answered cheerfully. "I'll go train now. It was nice meeting you. Itachi-san."

"Goodbye!" He waved at the older boy and effortlessly walked down the high wall. "I've got ramen to spy on!"

"Goodbye," Itachi answered automatically, staring after the confusing young child.

That was how Shisui found him five minutes later. "Yo, Itachi. What's up with you? What are you doing up there?"

Itachi slowly turned his head towards his best friend. "Apparently I am advising children to spy on edible nutrients."

" _What_?"

* * *

It was almost evening when Naruto arrived at the ledge. His sensei was already there, standing next to the tree and staring into space. His posture was tense, and Naruto immediately felt a strong sense of foreboding. That feeling only increased when the Nidaime turned and fixed him with a very serious gaze.

"Naruto. Sit down. We need to talk."

The child swallowed and nervously settled himself next to the Shodai's tree. "What about, sensei?"

"About what happened the day you were born."

Tobirama was not very good at conveying emotions. He was not an expressive person and preferred calm and cleanly given messages. He was definitely not the right person to tell Naruto about his burden. He had no idea how to ease him into the truth. He was not his brother. He did not have Hashirama's empathy.

But the child had to know. So Tobirama did what he could do best. He steeled himself and told the plain, cold facts – and then he watched.

He watched as Naruto's anger turned into sadness. He listened as the child screamed and cried – and when the tiny frame finally broke down, sobbing and overwhelmed by his emotions, he put a hand on the child's shoulder and pushed him gently, but firmly against the Shodai's tree.

Trapped between the strong residing presences of the first and second Hokage, Naruto slowly relaxed. He could not move, but he did not want to. He wanted to stay right between them, borrowing their strength, and be held together just for a bit longer.

Tobirama's hand stayed where it was long after the child had fallen into an uneasy sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Tobirama finally confirmed his suspicions...Poor Naruto I want to hug him, too.


	4. I: The Nidaime Hokage 4

Something in Naruto had changed. Something fundamental. The truth had shattered and healed him at the same time. On one hand he was incredibly relieved to know why people shunned him. On the other hand, he was extremely disappointed in his jiji. He had known. The entire time - and he had decided to keep it a secret.

Even worse, the entire village seemed to know about that and only he, the most affected person had been kept in the dark.

It was a harsh truth and Naruto felt himself disenchanted with his grandfather figure. It felt like a crack had appeared in their relationship and it left Naruto to wonder if there were more secrets being kept from him.

But there was at least one thing Naruto was completely sure of now. He could absolutely trust his sensei. The man had told him the truth and no matter how much it had hurt, Naruto had appreciated his bluntness.

He glanced at the translucent figure inspecting his latest calligraphy attempt and smiled. 'Thank you, Tobirama-jiji.', he thought quietly.

* * *

"I heard the jinchuuriki is slated for graduation."

The Third sighed soundlessly as Danzo entered his office. "Naruto has been performing exceedingly well," he answered vaguely and put his pen down in favor of fixing his old friend with a serious look. He knew this conversation was going to come up, but he still had hoped Danzo would have waited just a bit longer.

"It seems like he inherited some of his parents' talents, after all," Danzo stated calmly. To everyone else those words might have sounded like a praise but the Sandaime knew the man well enough to understand the real meaning behind it ** _._** _'How did he improve so quickly?'_

"He did." the Third agreed easily and rose from his seat. His steps carried him to the window and his gaze wandered through the glass and to the village below. "And he is constantly trying to improve himself. His tenacity is truly admirable." _'He was training non-stop.'_

"I see." _'Interesting.'_

Danzo stepped around the desk to join the Hokage in his passive guard. "He will succeed?"

"He will," The Third answered, eyes trailing over the bustling street.

"He needs a strong teacher." _'Give him to me.'_ There it was. The silent hint the entire conversation had been leading up to.

"Hound..."

"...is essential to his team," Danzo interrupted him. "You know we cannot take him out. Not yet."

The Third frowned. As much as he hated to admit it, Danzo was right. They could not afford to let him resign. Not when they were just starting to recover from their tremendous losses six years ago. They still needed every available shinobi and Hound was too vital to settle with a freshly graduated genin - even if it was the village's jinchuuriki.

"I will find someone." _'You will not get him.'_ The Sandaime stated firmly. He would. Hopefully.

"Very well," Danzo replied calmly. _'I will leave him alone - for now.'_

* * *

Autumn made way for winter and with the first day of the new season, a long-awaited time came.

Naruto stared at the big plush toy sitting on top of his pillow. How did it get there? He had only stepped out for groceries and now his apartment had suddenly gotten a plushy addition.

Curiously, Naruto picked it up. It was a dog. A very soft and fluffy dog, brown, with long ears and a dark snout and - Naruto had to grin at that - it was wearing a Konoha Forehead Protector.

Idly playing with the soft paws, Naruto sat down on his bed. There was a slight rustling noise below him. He shifted slightly to see what had produced that sound and found a small paper note. Bringing it up, his eyes scanned over the accurate brush strokes.

**Good luck on your exams**

The note was unsigned, and Naruto looked thoughtfully at the plush dog in his lap, a soft smile on his lips. This was the fifth time he had received a dog-themed gift. First it had been a blanket with paw prints sometime around the age of two, then a sleeping cap when he was three, fluffy slippers at the age of four, a hoodie with dog ears at five and now he had gotten a plush toy.

He had no idea who that mysterious gifter was, but it was nice to know that there was someone out there who thought about him.

Naruto pressed the dog tightly against his chest, whispering a soft, heartfelt "Thank you. "

Outside the window a branch shook as a masked man vanished into the night.

Tobirama followed his movement with a thoughtful gaze.

* * *

Naruto was excited and nervous at the same time. He spent the entire morning checking and rechecking his gear.

He was about to do the fifth recheck, when Tobirama finally had enough. "Naruto!" the ghost demanded sharply. "Get over here."

Naruto stopped in the middle of approaching his bag and walked towards his teacher, who gave him a very stern look. "What did I teach you about a shinobi's conduct?"

"A shinobi is never ruled by his emotions," Naruto answered immediately. He knew this rule by heart now.

"And what are you doing right now?" his teacher inquired with an impassive look.

"Being ruled by my emotions," Naruto answered sheepishly and took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Sorry, sensei. I am calm now."

"Good," the Nidaime answered simply and rose from his seat. "Now I believe it is time go."

Naruto nodded. "Yes sensei."

They left the flat and Naruto locked the door behind them, careful not to dislodge the plush toy hanging over his shoulder.

* * *

The classroom was already quite full. Children were sitting in the rows, nervously talking among each other. No one seemed to be younger than ten.

Heads turned when he entered the room and several conversations stopped as the assembled children stared at him in disbelief before they broke out in loud whispers.

"A _baby_?"

"What is he doing here?"

"Did he enter the wrong room?"

"He does not really want to take the exam, right?"

"What does he think this place is? The playground?"

"Is he carrying a _plush_ toy?!"

Naruto hesitated slightly and a cool hand touched his shoulder. The Nidaime caught his gaze and nodded at him. Naruto felt a sudden surge of confidence. He could do this. He would do this.

There was no way that he would fail.

He raised his head and sat down on an empty chair.

Sheets were passed out and the room quieted.

Naruto picked up his pen.

* * *

For about an hour nothing was heard but the monotone tic-toc of the wall clock and the sound of pens scratching over paper.

Tobirama floated between the rows and glanced at the test-papers. A displeased frown marred his face. The questions were easy, too easy in his opinion - and yet a great majority of the children was struggling with it.

There were no questions about the current political climate, or any history beyond the last shinobi world war.

Did these children even know who their allies were? Their enemies? Briefly he wondered what his brother would have had to say about this. Would he be disappointed again? Or happy that they actually got some illusion of a childhood? Even if it possibly meant their deaths the first time, they confused their opponents with allies?

Tobirama shook his head. He was losing himself in dark thoughts again. There was nothing he could do about that now.

At least his charge was doing well enough. He turned around and looked at the only person who could see him. Uzumaki Naruto. The child was his hope now.

* * *

Naruto glanced at Tobirama. The man's face was unreadable, but his posture was relaxed. That meant, he probably had not messed the written part up too badly.

But then again, he was rather confident in his answers.

Now he only needed to do the practical part, and everything would be over.

"Uzumaki, Naruto. Please follow me."

* * *

"Aww, it's finally his turn," a voice commented, sounding slightly excited.

"Yeah. Why did it have to take so long?" a second voice demanded.

"Because his surname starts with U," a third voice responded in a matter of fact-way.

"Hey...that plush toy, don't you think that looks like..," the second voice trailed off, sounding distinctly amused.

Several people snickered.

"Shh," the first voice complained. "I want to concentrate."

The Third threw a mildly exasperated look at the ANBU crowding around his crystal ball.

Somehow Team Ke had managed to wrangle themselves into being the Hokage's guards today, despite the fact that it was not even part of their usual duties.

Coincidentally this day _also_ happened to be the day Uzumaki Naruto was taking an early graduation test. A child Team Ke had secretly guarded from birth to age five. A boy the Third took personal interest in. So it was practically a given that the Sandaime wanted to check the child's progress by watching Naruto's test via his crystal ball. That the ANBU guarding him also got to watch was a completely unrelated coincidence and had absolutely nothing to do with the sudden change in guard schedule.

At least that was what Team Ke would have told anyone who had bothered to ask. Which the Hokage didn't.

"I am not too late, right?" The Third suppressed a groan as yet _another_ ANBU jumped through the window and squeezed himself into the rather tight circle.

Shaking his head at Hound, the Hokage turned back to the crystal ball and resumed watching Naruto who had just entered the examination room.

* * *

"Good," the examiner ticked something on his clipboard. "Now I want you to make at least three clones."

Naruto nodded and a second later the room was filled with ten Narutos smiling cheerfully at the examiner. The man stared in disbelief and nearly dropped his clipboard. "Are this...shadow clones?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes. That counts, right?"

A snort answered him, and the man ticked the last box, shaking his head in disbelief. "Of course."

He glanced over the paper. "Congratulations, Uzumaki," he said finally. "You passed. Please pick your headband."

Naruto grinned brightly.

Across the room Tobirama nodded at him, a rare smile on his lips. "Well done."

* * *

"He did it!" the first voice exclaimed. "Did you see that?"

"I did, but I still can't believe it," the second voice answered. "Ten shadow clones! At six! That kid's a damn genius!"

"Yeah," the second ANBU stated, mulling over the fact "What's gonna happen to that kid now?"

The rest of the unit stilled in anticipation of the Hokage's words.

"He needs a teacher and a team," the Third answered calmly. "I just need to find someone suitable to place him with."

"Why can't we have him?" Parrot asked suddenly. "We could take good care of him."

"Naruto is _not_ an ANBU member," the Hokage interrupted sharply, quick to stop them before they got _ideas_. "He's a six-year-old child and definitively not a part of your cell."

"But he could train with us," Owl chimed in. "There's a lot we could teach him."

The Hokage rubbed the bridge of his nose. Sometimes he forgot how tightly knit his ANBU cells were. It was one of the side effects caused by constantly been thrown into highly dangerous missions together. That they had secretly guarded Naruto since the day he had been born was really not helping either. They probably saw him already as one of their own. He knew they still secretly checked in with him sometimes.

But was that idea really that bad? He had not yet found a teacher for the boy and the requirements for that particular job were rather high. His teacher needed to be strong and trustworthy. Strong enough to keep the Kyuubi at bay, if needed, and protect Naruto if the secret of his heritage were to be leaked out.

He needed the Sharingan but leaving Naruto with a sole Uchiha instructor would upset the villagers even more. There were quite a lot of people who believed that the Uchiha were somehow connected to the Kyuubi attack and tempers were still running high. People were _sensitive_ to everything regarding the Kyuubi and while it would certainly show his trust into the Uchiha clan, he could not afford pouring oil into the simmering fire that was Konoha.

Team Ke was one of his most trusted ANBU cells and they had taken a liking to Naruto, which was sadly a rather rare occurrence - and on top of that they did have an Uchiha in their team. He could have a Sharingan user and yet Naruto would not be left solely alone with him.

The Third was starting to like the idea and he hated it. He wanted the child to have a normal childhood. But now he had graduated. At six.

He looked at Hound, silently asking for his opinion.

"It would appease certain people," the man commented. "You know that Danzo is keeping an eye on him, Hokage-sama, even more so now that he has shown his talent. He might try to get his hands on him."

His voice held absolutely no infliction and the Hokage was completely sure that he was faking it. Hound was _never_ neutral to anything concerning Naruto. Had he not been in his ANBU personality, the Third most certainly would have had a _very_ angry elite shinobi to deal with. He probably still had. He was not looking forward to that outburst.

The Third sighed. Hound was correct. Danzo might have backed off for now but, knowing him, he would probably try to place a plant somewhere close to Naruto and try to lure him into ROOT. He did not want the child to be used that way. But if he left Naruto with Team Ke...

It was an uncommon solution, but then again Naruto was not a normal child. He was the last legacy of the Fourth. The jailor of the Kyuubi and therefore vital to the village's security. But he was young and inexperienced. Team Ke could guard him while he was still vulnerable.

Danzo would probably be rather pleased with this solution as well. As for Naruto...he could still take low-risk missions with other teams while Team Ke was out - once he had learned to better protect himself, of course. As for Naruto's official placement...Perhaps an apprenticeship? He would have to sent a message to Jiraiya.

Coming to a decision, the Hokage fixed the ANBU in front of him with a stern look.

"Fine. But he is only going to join your training and you will _not_ be taking him on any missions _without_ my approval. "

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Team Ke answered in unison, sounding way too happy for a supposedly emotionless ANBU unit.

Eyeing them with one last distrustful look because there were countless loopholes in his instructions, he ordered them back to their posts and reluctantly returned to his paperwork. He spent the next several hours poured over reports, studiously pretending not to see the rapid handsigns of his ANBU as they silently discussed code names.

Although some of the names they came up with were rather amusing.

 _Ostrich_ , really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mah ~ And there you have my unusual solution. Honestly, I did it because I was getting tired of reading about genin teams. There is only so much you can do with that - and it has been done to death. So I wanted something different. 
> 
> Just keep in mind that Naruto is not really an official part of their cell, but has been assigned to them for training and protection. That's an important fact, because it does not make him ANBU.
> 
> I am not sure about Naruto's friends yet, so I'll just wait and see whoever deigns to wander into the story and decides to stay. *xD*


	5. I:  The Nidaime Hokage 5

Kakashi knew he had failed. He had failed his sensei. Failed Rin. Failed Obito. There was not a single day when he didn't think about all those things he had failed to do. He was miserable and angry at himself for being so terribly pathetic.

He was spending his days wallowing in misery and drowning himself in one mission after the other, rarely spending a prolonged time in the village.

He was so focused on not feeling, not dying that he had completely forgotten that he was not alone in his loss. It had been his sensei's two-year-old son, Naruto, and oh kami – _his sensei had a son and he had forgotten about it! –_ that had yanked him back into reality. The ironic thing was, that the child had not even done _anything_. He had just accidently crossed his path, looking sad and tired and so utterly _alone_.

Kakashi had been frozen in shock at seeing that miserable mini-Minato and nearly fallen down the branch he had been sitting on. _Naruto_. Naruto was still there. His _sensei's son_ was still there. He had not failed everyone. He still had a _chance_.

The same night he had smuggled a paw-printed blanket into the child's room, throwing an almost challenging look at the child's ANBU guards as if daring them to stop him.

They hadn't – and from this moment on little Naruto had gained another silent guardian.

A guardian who was really furious right now.

Several veteran shinobi jumped out of the way as the Jonin passed them like a raging storm and the ANBU guarding the Hokage's office did not even _attempt_ to stop him.

The Third felt a sudden sense of dread that turned into a very justified weariness when he was suddenly confronted with a _very_ angry elite shinobi.

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi began deceptively calm. "We need to _talk_."

The Hokage sighed deeply and activated the privacy seals. "Very well."

* * *

"You are angry with me," the old man stated once the barrier had been set up. Kakashi snorted. "Anger is not even close to what I am feeling right now, Hokage-sama. He is a _child_."

"It was done for his own protection," the Hokage stated calmly. "And you misunderstood my intention."

Kakashi crossed his arms. "Enlighten me then, _Hokage-sama_ ," he demanded.

The Third narrowed his eyes. "Careful Jonin Hatake, you are overstepping your bounds. But I will overlook it this once." He rose from his seat.

"I did not make Naruto a part of ANBU. I simply gave him strong teachers who happen to be a part of an ANBU cell."

Kakashi stared at him in disbelief. " _Happen_ to be a part of an ANBU cell?" he repeated incredulously.

"There are not many people out there who are qualified to teach him, and you are needed where you are," the Hokage sighed, suddenly looking very much his age. "He is six, Kakashi. I only let him graduate because he looked so desperate to prove himself. But he is still _vulnerable_."

"You are trying to protect him," Kakashi concluded with the sharp insight that proved him to be the genius he was hailed as. "You gave him to Team Ke because you knew how protective they are of him." His posture relaxed. "But if it had to be a team…why didn't you choose _mine_?" The question was asked almost petulantly. If someone had the right to teach his sensei's kid, it was _him_. He was very put out at the thought of his chance being taking away from him.

"I already told you," The Third replied tiredly. "You and your team are needed elsewhere. You cannot be distracted."

The Jonin grumbled in displeasure and the Hokage suppressed a smile. "And would you not prefer being a brother figure instead of a teacher?"

Kakashi was instantly interested.

* * *

"Wake up."

Naruto blinked at the insistent voice interrupting his Ramen-filled dreams. Groaning slightly, he pushed himself up against the headboard and brought his hand up to massage his throbbing temples.

Tobirama was standing next to him looking rather serious.

Naruto opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but the man raised a hand to stop him. "Do not talk now. There are four ANBU waiting for you in your kitchen."

Naruto's eyes widened. ANBU? What were they doing here? Had something happened?

"Go in and act normal," Tobirama instructed him. "I will be with you. But remember, do _not_ talk to me, or acknowledge my presence in any way. "

The child nodded, took a deep breath, and left the bedroom.

* * *

Four masked heads turned around as Naruto stepped through the kitchen door. Naruto's first impression was, that they were not in a hurry. In fact, their postures were rather relaxed, and they seemed to be quite at home in his kitchen.

He glanced at the owl masked ANBU who had apparently decided that his mask was quite a hindrance to his food consumption and had pushed it up just far enough to munch on a cookie.

Another one with a badger mask was busy brewing tea and number three and four were idly chatting in front of the window.

Naruto blinked at the strangely domestic scene. That was definitely not what he had expected when his sensei had warned him about his visitors. He did not know whether he should be relieved or disappointed at the ANBUs apparent lack of…well… ANBUness…

There was a moment of silence as the child and the elite unit simply stared at each other, before Owl broke the awkward silence and waved cheerfully at him. "Hey kid! Wanna have a cookie?"

Naruto slowly wandered over, confusion written over his face. "Uhm…okay?" That could not be too bad, right? Maybe it would make this situation less strange.

The mouth beneath the mask grinned and the man waved invitingly at the jar next to him. "Here, help yourself."

"Thanks," Naruto answered and cautiously pulled a cookie out of the bag. His eyes lightened up. Chocolate! Delicious!

"Like it?" Owl asked and jumped from the table.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed honestly. "It's good." It really was.

"Good," the man replied happily. "Eat as much as you want. There are lots of different flavors."

"Cool," Naruto answered and grabbed another one. "Oh. Strawberry!"

The ANBU with the Badger mask snorted. "Somehow it feels like I am looking at a creep trying to abduct a child."

The Parrot masked ANBU laughed. "It's the cookies."

"And perhaps the fact that he's a masked man visiting a child at the break of dawn," the Lion masked ANBU commented drily and joined Owl and Naruto at the dining table.

"Hello Naruto."

"Hello," the child greeted back, looking curiously at the Lion-masked ANBU.

"I suppose you are wondering why we are invading your home so early, right?" Lion asked and seated himself on one of the three worn chairs. "It is connected to your team placement."

"My team placement?" Naruto repeated. What did his team placement have to do with those people?

He asked.

Lion exchanged a look with his teammates. "Hokage-sama has entrusted you to us."

Next to Naruto Tobirama stiffened. "Hiruzen gave you to ANBU? What is he _thinking_?! You are way too young for that!" The air around the ghost condensed in calm, tranquil fury, and something dark flitted through the man's eyes. Naruto distantly wondered if that was how the Nidaime looked when he was about to enter the battlefield, before Lion's words hit home and he understood just what he had been told.

He had been assigned to an _ANBU_ team.

 _Why_?

Had it something to do with the Nine-Tails?

Naruto had been looking forward to getting a genin team of his own…other children to train and spent time with…and now he was not even getting that.

His heart dropped. Was he really that distrusted?

"Does ji- the Hoka-", he began quietly, struggling with words that refused to come out. The question he wanted to ask was just too painful. He was not even sure if he wanted to know the answer.

Naruto fidgeted and averted his eyes, unconsciously scooting closer into his teacher's direction.

The ghost automatically put a grounding hand on the child's shoulder and Naruto latched onto it like a lifeline. The Nidaime's imposing presence solidified beside him and Naruto could almost feel the man's unwavering calmness wrapping around him like a secure bubble. Just how strong had the Nidaime's momentum been when he had been alive?

Drawing his strength from the man's silent support, Naruto finally managed to ask his question.

"Are you…going to watch me?"

The easy atmosphere suddenly changed into something more serious, more meaningful.

"No," Lion answered sharply, more startled by the question than he should probably have been.

He exchanged another glance with his strangely quiet cell. The question and even more so the resigned sad tune it had been asked in, had thrown them off, too. He knew his unit well enough to recognize their tells. The tense line of Owl's jaw, Badger's rigid shoulders and the overly casual posture that was unique to Parrot.

Lion leaned forward, suppressing his sudden urge to take of his mask so that the child could read the seriousness in his eyes. "Look at me," he commanded.

His voice was so assertive that Naruto could not help but obey. "This is definitely _not_ the reason you have been assigned to us. So, get this idea out of your head right now. We're here to teach you and not to watch you, got it?"

"Okay," Naruto answered slowly, not really convinced but still feeling slightly reassured. "But why don't I get a genin team?"

"You really are persistent, hm?" Lion sighed. "Fine. I am not going to lie to you. There _are_ several other reasons I am not allowed to tell, but it has _nothing_ to do with you being mistrusted. So just be happy about getting such a superior team."

"Yeah, we're really badass," Owl chimed in, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

"Totally," Parrot agreed cheerfully.

Naruto huffed. "Fine. So what now?"

"You drink your tea and eat breakfast," Badger answered and put a steaming cup in front of him.

"And then you will come with us so we can assess your level," Lion added.

"Okay," Naruto agreed and picked the cup up.

* * *

Tobirama watched as the four ANBU guided his charge to one of the restricted training grounds. He was not happy about this newest development. Naruto was way too young to get involved with the shady business of Konoha.

Just what was Hiruzen thinking, allowing the child to be taught by these people? He might not be a part of ANBU now, but with them as teachers he would inevitably walk down the very same path. It was only a matter of time.

Hiruzen might as well have tossed him into ANBU right away.

Hashimara would have been appalled. _He_ was appalled.

He looked at the Hokage mountain. The sun had not yet risen, so his brother's stony gaze was still shredded in darkness.

Tobirama sighed in relief and hated himself for being glad that his brother was blind.

* * *

"Hiruzen…What are they _doing_?"

"It appears that Parrot and Badger have taken the cookie jar hostage and Owl and Naruto have been tasked with retrieving it," the Third answered drily, blowing a smoke ring over the crystal ball.

"I can see that," Danzo replied equally dry. "Let me rephrase my question: _Why_ is an ANBU cell running around playing childish games?"

"They are assessing Naruto's skill level."

"And they could not have done that in a less… _moronic_ way?"

"I believe they want Naruto to feel at ease with them," the Hokage answered, watching carefully as the young child jumped from a branch and hastened after Owl who had just spotted their opponents.

"He does not need to feel at ease," Danzo reminded him sharply. "He just needs to _learn_ and _obey_. Too much sentimentality will only make him a liability."

The Third ignored his friend's input with practiced ease. He would not get into another discussion about morals right now. They would never see eye to eye on that. So he settled for a simple. "It works for him." and resumed watching the child's assessment.

Danzo did not look too pleased but his attention still never wavered from the crystal ball.

The Hokage silently congratulated himself for taking the initiative and inviting the man to watch. At least this way he knew exactly what his old friend learned about the child.

* * *

They had found Badger and Parrot. Or more like, Badger and Parrot had found _them_. Naruto did not know when the rules had changed, but suddenly they were not longer the ones chasing, but rather the one's being chased – and to make matters worse, Owl had disappeared.

He was on his own. Well, almost. His sensei was still with him, but the man had yet to speak up.

There was no warning. Only a sudden feeling of danger, followed by a blur of movement and Naruto instinctively threw himself to the side. He could feel the cool breeze grazing his cheek as the fist cut through the air where his head had been only one breath before.

"Not bad," Parrot's voice complimented him from somewhere behind him. Naruto whirled around but the ANBU was nowhere in sight.

Where was he?

Had he left?

"Mind your surroundings," his sensei advised him calmly, "A skilled shinobi knows how to use anything around him to his advantage. "

Mind his surroundings? What did he mean with that?

Naruto looked around. There was not much to see. Just a couple of trees and a single log. Nothing speci- Wait. Had that log been there before? He was pretty sure it had been an empty clearing. So…maybe?

He threw a kunai at it.

The log vanished in a puff of smoke and Parrot appeared in front of him. "Good job, kid. Cookie?"

Naruto grinned and accepted.

* * *

"Report," Lion commanded and looked at Owl and Badger. The two ANBU exchanged a quick look, before Owl started to speak.

"His speed is not bad. He's quicker than you could expect from a recent graduate. I slowed down quite a bit but not as much as I thought I had to. I'd say it's comparable to someone who has already been two years in. I have also noticed that he moves very quietly when he wants to. There were some moments I had to check for his chakra just to be sure he was still following me."

"So he has an aptitude for stealth," Lion mused. "We will have to expand on that - If we can get the kid to stay silent long enough," he added drily. His teammates snorted.

"We can always bribe him with ramen," Badger offered, only half-joking.

Lion snorted. "Would probably work like a charm. Anything else?"

"Well, he does not recognize genjutsu," Owl added. "At least he just shrugs the regular ones off." He paused. "…and I have no intention of using _that_ on him."

"And I am not asking you to," Lion replied firmly. "Badger, anything to add?"

"Just as expected his jutsu repertoire is not big, but he knows how to improvise," the ANBU answered. "The kid's not one for strategy, but when it comes to tactics, he's _good_. Would probably make one hell of a team with a Naara.

"Oh?" Lion definitely sounded interested. "We'll have to look into that one, too then."

"Yes," Badger agreed. "I don't know how good he's at tracking, haven't seen much of it, but that's probably something we should leave to Hatake – or we'll never hear the end of it."

Owl laughed and Lion snorted again. "You can say that again," the man muttered.

"That's probably something we should leave to Hatake - or..-"

"I did not mean it literally!" Lion interrupted Badger hastily before he got on a roll.

Owl snickered.

"Now what about the kid's taijutsu?" Lion asked, ignoring his amused teammate.

"Parrot is still testing him. As far as I have seen, he is mostly using basic styles. Got them down to perfection, though," Badger replied. "Not a single movement out of place. I've never seen a genin, hell, I've never seen _anyone_ execute them so flawlessly."

"It's that good?" Lion sounded surprised. "Wasn't he mostly learning on his own?"

Badger shrugged. "I don't get it either. Maybe he's just done them over and over again."

"Hm. Well, we'll leave that for later. Parrot and Naruto are coming back."

The three ANBU turned around and looked at the two harmonious figures happily sharing the cookie jar between them.

"Oi!" Owl yelled loudly. "You'd better have left some for us, too."

* * *

Tobirama looked at the scene in front of him and relaxed slightly. Their interactions appeared genuine and Naruto actually seemed to be happy for once. It was a rare sight, and he could not bring himself to begrudge the child for it.

He was still not convinced about this arrangement and worried about the future implications it might bring, but for now he would give those people the benefit of the doubt.

That did not mean that he was not going to trail them, though.

Tobirama was not going to leave his charge in the hands of unknown people.

Especially not ANBU.

Sometimes it was really convenient to be a ghost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mah ~ And now someone's probably off stalking -eh trailing people. Shinobi don't stalk after all. *xD*
> 
> So, that's probably the last chapter I'll manage to upload before Christmas. So'll be wishing you a Merry Christmas! And please stay healthy. =)


	6. I:  The Nidaime Hokage 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! :D

Lion rolled his eyes when he felt the very familiar chakra signature already present at the meeting room. Honestly, did Hatake not have better things to do on his day off than to spy on them? Like reading that smut novel he had recently discovered? It was not like they were going to eat that kid. It was Naruto, after all.

How had he even found out that they were going to use this place? At the rate the man was going he and the older Uchiha boy could start a club for overprotective older siblings.

He shuddered at the thought, his eyes falling on the scroll sitting innocently on the tabletop.

Lion took it and the observing chakra signature vanished. Hatake had left.

So he was the one who had placed the scroll?

Curiously, he opened it.

It was a mistake.

The scroll unrolled and unrolled and unrolled until it covered the entire length of the very spacy room. _Twice_.

Lion squinted at the kanji written on it. They were tiny like someone had tried to put as much writing onto the scroll at possible.

Right at the top of the scroll, written in blood-red and very threatening looking kanji, were the words:

**Things not to teach Naruto**

Lion groaned and against his better judgment, he glanced over some of the writings.

_Cats are evil. Don't tell him otherwise._

_The door is not an adequate manner to enter the room, only windows are._

_The fastest way to reach your destination is to take the long way round. Don't teach him otherwise._

Wordlessly the man scooped the paper mess into his arms and left to find his unit.

"Guys. Hatake was nice enough to leave us a training plan! Come and look at it."

Team Ke immediately congregated around the scroll.

A moment of silence.

Then:

"Can we leave out the being youthful part?"

Team Ke collectively shuddered.

* * *

Naruto jumped after the quietly moving Badger, trying, and failing to match the man's pace. They were racing through the treetops and it was Naruto's job to keep up with him. It was still dark outside, so he had a hard time keeping his eye on Badger who was clothed completely in black.

It was an exercise that trained his speed, his agility and forced him to concentrate fully on his surroundings.

"You are losing him," the Nidaime remarked calmly, "Concentrate, child and _listen_."

Listen?

What should he listen to?

Seeing the question on the child's face, the man elaborated. "You cannot move completely soundless. Especially not when you are navigating through trees. Listen to the leaves. Determine the pattern in which the wind makes them rustle and find the sound that breaks it. That is where you have to start looking."

Naruto threw him an incredulous look. He was supposed to _listen_ to leaves? That was so boring!

The Nidaime – who knew his charge all too well- smirked slightly. "You need to learn patience child. Patience and discipline. Now find him. Or you won't be allowed any ramen for a month."

Naruto's eyes widened. _No_. Not again! He swallowed and forced himself to concentrate. He would not allow his ramen to be taken from him again.

* * *

Tobirama glanced at his peacefully sleeping charge. The child had had a very taxing day and was in dire need of some rest. It was unlikely that he would wake soon. Which meant, Tobirama would not be missed for quite some time.

The ghost threw a last confirming look at the boy, he did not like leaving him alone while he was sleeping and therefore _vulnerable,_ before he left the apartment. There were some things he had to check on.

The street was almost empty at night. The lively bustling of people replaced by an almost eerie silence. Konoha was very strict with its curfew rules. After two am nobody below the rank of chunin was allowed to leave their properties anymore unless they were accompanied by an authorized person, part of the Uchiha police force, on a mission, or granted permission by the Hokage himself.

Since Shinobi tended to move silently anyway, nighttime at Konoha usually was very quiet.

Tobirama touched the ground next to him and concentrated. He still remembered the chakra signature of the ANBU members. All four of them.

But it was one ANBU he was especially interested in.

Owl.

He had been the most jovial of the team and he possessed a unique touch to his chakra that was very familiar to Tobirama.

A touch that screamed of a _Sharingan_.

A _very_ powerful Sharingan.

He had to check it out.

Tobirama was not someone who would let a potential threat pass by.

* * *

The signature led him to the Uchiha district. That in itself was no surprise at all. What was surprising, however, was the house the chakra trail had led him to.

He knew the building.

He had been in there quite often before.

The Nidaime started at the door of what used to be Uchiha Kagami's house.

Tobirama was strangely reluctant to enter. Kagami had been one of his most trusted, one of the rare few he had actually considered a friend.

Slowly he phased through the door.

The interior had changed. The furniture exchanged for something newer. But the _painting_ was still there.

Tobirama stared at the drawing of the thundering waterfall. It had always been the first thing he had seen when he had entered this house.

It was both comforting and disconcerting to see it again after what seemed - no what _was_ a lifetime ago.

He half-expected Kagami to step through the adjoining door to greet him. But the night remained silent.

Tobirama shook his head. He was losing himself in memories again. He had no time for sentimentality. There was so much to do and his time too short.

He floated to the door that used to lead to the bedroom – and it still did. But now it was a different person sleeping in there.

Or rather, _not_ sleeping there.

A young man, barely out of his teens, was sitting on the bed, writing what seemed to be a mission report.

Tobirama glanced at the name written on the sheet.

_Uchiha Shisui._

As if feeling invisible eyes on him, the young man raised his head and looked directly at Tobirama, unknowingly meeting his gaze.

The Nidaime found himself meeting choral orbs, full-of-life and yet diminished like a clouded sun. There was a hard glint to it. Determination. Strength. But the edge was taken away by something else. Something softer. Love. Devotion.

Tobirama knew this gaze. He had seen it in Kagami's eyes more than once. The Nidaime felt himself relax slightly.

Uchiha Shisui had passed.

For now.

He would still keep an eye on him, though.

It was way too easy to twist that love into a soul-devouring hatred.

* * *

The Nidaime left the house that was both so familiar and yet so strange to him and his mind wandered to his _other_ most trusted people.

If Kagami and Hiruzen had a family, then what about the rest of the _Goei Butai_?

Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, Danzou Shimura, Torifu Akimichi.

Maybe Kagami's best friend Danzo had married, too?

Perhaps they had even raised their children together.

They _had_ been very close after all.

He would definitely go and check on them sometimes.

But for now, he had to leave. He glanced at the sky. Naruto would wake up soon.

He walked out of the Uchiha District, never seeing the dark figure melting into the ground only a few steps behind him.

* * *

The bowl was getting bigger and bigger. The piece of miso under his feet growing to an impossible size. Naruto's mouth watered. He stepped back and jumped. But suddenly the bowl was shaking under him, causing ripples on the watery surface.

"- _ruto_."

Naruto struggled to stay on top, the broth closing in on him at a rapid pace.

" _Naruto_."

His dinner was saying his name. He could hear it calling for him louder and louder.

"Naruto!"

The boy ripped his eyes open and stared directly at the painted crimson stripes of an ANBU mask.

Naruto screamed and instinctively scrambled backwards, his heart beating rapidly.

The ANBU immediately jumped back, somehow managing to look sheepish despite his mask. "Oops."

"Woah, Parrot. You scared him." That was Badger's voice. Naruto felt himself relax.

There was a soft rustling of cloth next to him and suddenly a hand ruffled his hair. Naruto turned to look at the Owl-masked ANBU. "Sorry kid. We didn't mean to scare you. Parrot was just being an idiot again."

"I was not!" said ANBU protested loudly.

A disbelieving snort cut through the air. It sounded like Lion. "I told you not to lean so closely over him."

Parrot grumbled. "How was I supposed to know that he would start screaming?"

"Because that's a common reaction when you wake up to an ANBU looming over you?" Badger offered helpfully.

Lion sighed. "Cut it you two. Parrot, apologize to Naruto. Naruto, sorry for scaring you. We will work on your awareness. Can't have you sleeping so deeply that you forget your surroundings."

"Sorry, Naruto," Parrot repeated obediently.

Naruto could not help it. He laughed and soon the room dissolved into cheerful laughter.

* * *

The child collapsed on the grass after the end of his first and rather grueling taijutsu lesson, breathing very heavily.

It was the first time he had actually fought against a real opponent outside the academy. A very skilled opponent on top of that. Parrot was good.

The man looked down at the bruised boy and tilted his head. "You wouldn't be in that state if you didn't constantly forget to dodge, kid."

"I didn't forget!" Naruto protested halfheartedly "You are just too fast, Parrot."

"Then I suppose you just have to get faster, " Parrot replied cheerfully. "Or I might just decide to call you Turtle."

"Aw. Now you are just being overly harsh again, Parrot," Badger commented, appearing soundlessly next to him.

"Yeah. It wasn't that bad," Owl agreed, flopping down next to the child, and bringing his hand up to ruffle Naruto's already mussed up hair. "And he's more like a sunny little rabbit, the way he always jumps around."

"A sunny rabbit, eh?" a fourth voice remarked, and everyone turned to look at the Lion-masked ANBU jumping down from the branch he had watched the spar from. "Seems fitting."

Team Ke exchanged silent significant looks.

"Then…" Parrot began, sounding very ominous. "This means…"

"It does," Owl nodded solemnly.

"Agreed," Badger chimed in, equally sober.

"Confirmed," Lion answered seriously and turned towards the confused child.

"Welcome to Team Ke, **Hare**."

Naruto's eyes widened. Without a second thought, he jumped up and threw himself into Lion's arms. "Thank you," he whispered quietly, his voice raw with emotion. "Thank you."

Lion closed his arms around the child and exchanged a meaningful look with his teammates.

"Group hug!" Owl announced cheerfully and pounced.

Parrot and Badger looked at each other, shrugged, and joined in.

The Third deactivated his crystal ball and leaned back with an approving smile.

* * *

Over the next weeks, Naruto fell into an easy rhythm. Standing up at the break of dawn, training with Team Ke until midday and spending the rest of the day learning from the Nidaime. The man's knowledge was rather vast, and Naruto actually found himself interested in the stories he had to tell. For some reason, the Second was adamant about teaching Naruto everything he knew about Konoha's clans, even though he seemed to put a special emphasis on the Uchiha clan.

"Sensei?" Naruto asked tentatively after the man had ended his lecture. "Why are you focusing so much on the Uchiha?"

The Nidaime paused, carefully considering how to answer. His eyes wandered to the window. Naruto knew what that meant by now. His teacher was recalling a memory. It did not happen often, but every time it did, he would get that distant look in his eyes and Naruto would feel the desperate urge to latch onto him and hold him down, terribly afraid that he would vanish right in front of him like the ghost he was.

"The Uchiha...," the Second began finally. "…are a very strong clan. The bloodline limit they possess, the _Sharingan_ , allows them to access incredible powers. But this power comes at a steep price."

"A price?" Naruto repeated, settling down onto the grass next to the Shodai's tree. He liked the warm and comfortable feeling it gave him. It made him feel strangely safe and protected.

"I have told you that my brother's dream was to break the circle of hatred," the Nidaime continued quietly. "And there used to be plenty of hatred between the Uchiha and the Senju clan. The Uchiha always were a clan who could hate passionately. But what many are not aware of is that this hatred is born out of love."

" _Love_?" Naruto stared at him, not really understanding where this was going. How could you hate because of love?

"Uchiha love deeply and wholly. Some of them even to the point of obsession," the Second answered. "But when those they love are taken from them, the emotional pain they feel will manifest itself in their eyes, awakening the _Sharingan_."

"And that's bad?" Naruto tilted his head.

"Not necessarily," Tobirama answered truthfully, "But many of them develop a strong hatred towards the ones who hurt their loved ones – and the deeper their hatred, the stronger they become. Once they reach a certain point there will be no reasoning with them anymore and they will follow a path of destruction. "

The Second looked at Naruto, his jaw set into a grim line. "And then they will become a threat to their own village."

Tobirama stepped forward and laid a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder. "That does not mean every Uchiha is that way. I have known plenty of them who channeled their love into their village, and I could not have asked for more loyal comrades." He paused for a second. "Still, treat every Uchiha you meet with caution, Naruto. "

"I don't like that," Naruto grumbled. "They are part of Konoha, too and I don't believe they will hurt it! It's their _home_!" He glared heatedly at the ghost in front of him. "And I'll protect them, too!"

The ghost smiled wryly at the determined child.

Truly, so _similar_.

But he was pensive.

The air around Konoha had changed, the tension was almost palpable. The Uchiha clan seemed especially restless. Dissent was growing among Konoha's population.

It was worrying because it hinted at some unspoken, some deeper problem he was completely unaware of.

He had the feeling that something bad was going to happen.

Tobirama glanced at the cloudy sky. A storm was coming.

He sincerely hoped his charge would not be caught up in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uff, there you've got a content heavy chapter. 
> 
> First off congratulations to everyone who thought it was Shisui! You got it right!
> 
> Second, I chose **Hare** , because it's both an english animal name and apparently means _"sunny"_ in Japanese, too. I thought it was fitting. So you can decide which meaning you prefer. 
> 
> Third, This chapter is a bit darker, because from now on we are slowly moving into the more serious parts of the story. (But I'll still keep the light moments).


	7. I: The Nidaime Hokage 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is an additional warning for this chapter (Skip to the end note if you want to know - but it might spoil the story. )

Kakashi was nervous. Very nervous. He wanted to meet Naruto, but he had no idea how to do it. How did you approach a kid that should have been your younger brother? Confused and very worried by that question he went and cornered the only person who could probably tell him what to do. "Yo. Weasel. I need your help."

The young ANBU turned around. "Yes, captain?"

"You've got a younger brother, right?" Kakashi asked, curiously leaning in.

"…I do," Weasel replied slowly. "Why are you asking, captain?"

"Well..," Kakashi scratched his head. "I know this one kid that's kind of my younger brother…"

Weasel hummed. "You are talking about Uzumaki Naruto, correct?"

"...Am I that obvious?"

"Yes," Weasel answered immediately. "If I remember correctly you were threatening to decapitate the vendor who threw a rotten tomato at him."

"Ah…" Kakashi replied sheepishly, "That might have been a bit-"

"I approve," Weasel interrupted him.

Kakashi blinked. "You… _approve_?"

"Yes," Weasel agreed calmly. "It's the duty of the older brother to protect the younger one. Any threat towards the younger one's safety should be removed resolutely and without mercy."

"I see," Kakashi nodded thoughtfully. That really made sense. "Any tips on how to interact with Naruto? I am about to meet him for the first time."

Weasel tilted his head. "I can tell you how I usually interact with my younger brother."

Kakashi pulled out his notebook, attentively listening to Weasel ratter of an entire set of instructions.

"...and don't forget to poke him," the young ANBU finally finished.

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully and closed his book. "Thanks, Itachi."

"Hn."

* * *

"Rise and shine, Hare!"

Naruto glared at the overly cheerful ANBU. It was a mystery to him how Parrot could be so chipper every morning.

"That's Parrot for you," Badger remarked off-handedly, correctly interpreting the boy's glare.

"So what are we learning today?" the over-excited Parrot ANBU asked their captain.

Lion rolled his eyes behind his mask.

"Oh! I know it!" Owl answered, waving his hand. "It's shunshin!"

He threw his arm around Naruto's shoulder. "That means you get to spent lots of time with me today!"

"Yay!" Naruto yelled, honestly happy and twisted around to hug him.

"There is something I wish to teach you," Tobirama told Naruto after Team Ke had waved him goodbye.

"What is it, sensei?" Naruto asked curiously.

The Nidaime turned to look at him. "I wish to teach you how to utilize chakra pressure. But before I can do that, we will have to look at Barrier techniques. The ledge is protected against chakra leakage, but you will need to learn how to set up secure places on your own. We will start with a simple silencing barrier and move up from that."

"I am going to learn how to make secret hideouts?!" Naruto was excited.

"Yes," Tobirama confirmed calmly. "Now calm yourself and concentrate. We are starting."

"Yes, sensei," Naruto answered and settled down.

The Nidaime started to pace up and down in front of him. A habit he had when he was about to start a long lecture.

"Barrier techniques require a lot of concentration and precision. Some people are under the wrong impression that they can casually throw up a barrier during a battle whenever they want, but that is _not_ advisable," the Second paused to let his words sink in. "While you are upholding your barrier, you are limited in your ability to move and react because your entire concentration will be focused on maintaining the barrier. It might work during a one-on-one fight, but once you are fighting multiple opponents, it is a very bad decision."

Tobirama stopped to reaffirm his student's attention, before continuing. "Because of this most barriers are better suited to covering _areas_ instead of people and prepared _before_ the battle begins – you can achieve that in conjunction with seals."

"Like the one covering the ledge?" Naruto interjected.

The Nidaime nodded. "Yes. The pendent you made to train your chakra was something our father gave to us when we first started to train. My brother and I later developed a barrier that would use those pendants as a means to open it."

"So I am going to have to learn sealing, too?" Naruto asked.

"If you wish to use barriers effectively," the Second replied. He fixed Naruto with a considering look. "It might interest you that this is your legacy, too."

Naruto perked up. "My legacy?"

"The Uzumaki clan used to be very proficient seal masters. My brother's wife, Uzumaki Mito was very talented. I have learned quite a lot from her."

"There is an Uzumaki _clan_?" Naruto asked excitedly and jumped up. "A real clan?! Where are they?! Why haven't I met anyone?"

"I am not sure," the Nidaime replied honestly, sounding very displeased by this admission. "I am not aware of anything that transpired after my…death. I will have to remedy this as soon as possible."

Naruto nodded absently.

"Well, enough about that," his teacher's stern voice yanked him back into reality. "We were talking about sealing. So the first thing you have to keep in mind is –"

* * *

Naruto threw a concerned look at his teacher. The man had acted strangely the last few days. He was lost in his thoughts way more often than usual and his gaze kept wandering towards the Hokage mountain.

But today he was looking especially sad. He had not even said a single word the entire morning, standing as still as a statue in front of the window, his gaze fixed on the monument.

Naruto was really starting to get worried. What was wrong with his teacher? Why did he seem so sad? So _lost_?

Was it connected to his brother? It had to be.

The young boy bit his lips in thought.

Senju Hashirama.

The Shodai Hokage.

He was forgetting something.

Something important.

Quietly Naruto ducked into his bedroom and grabbed his history book. He flipped hastily through the pages until he found the section about the first Hokage.

Quickly glancing over it, his attention fell on the small cross next to today's date.

Naruto dropped the book and ran back into the living room, throwing his arms around the unmoving man and _squeezed_. "I am sorry," he whispered into the man's rigid back. "So sorry."

For a long moment the Second remained frozen before his posture relaxed slightly and the words fell from his lips, quietly and full of sorrow.

"It was a cold day like this. Hashirama and I had been called to the battlefield…"

" _Hokage-sama!" the door to the office was thrown open and a panicked shinobi ran through the doors. "The barrier has been broken. The enemy has invaded the village!"_

_Hashirama jumped up, his face serious and his eyes burning with the intensity of thousand fires. "They will not take this village." His gaze turned towards his equally grim-looking brother. "Are you with me, brother?"_

" _Always," Tobirama answered, not even pausing to think. There was no question about it. He would defend Konoha, defend his brother. Like he always had. Like he always would._

_The First smiled, it was not a happy smile. It was sad and pained and it looked completely wrong on his usually cheerful face. "Good. Then let us go."_

_They left the Hokage tower and were greeted by a picture of death and destruction._

_Fires were raging through the streets; people screaming in fear and pain among piles of broken stone._

_A female body was slumped over a piece of debris, beneath her the lifeless shape of a young girl, sheltering her even in death._

_The Shodai's eyes blazed with the need to protect, to end this needless carnage. He charged in, his black hair swirling behind him like a raging storm. Nature answered to his call as vines and trees sprouted out of the ground, closing around the attackers and crushing them._

_Tobirama joined in as well, his sharp blazing figure only a blur on the battlefield, the force of his concerted chakra alone strong enough to bring his enemies to their knees._

" _Hokage-sama!" a voice suddenly yelled. Tobirama whirled around because of the sheer panic in the caller's voice, eyes searching desperately for his brother._

_He found him, at the end of the street, standing protectively in front of a young child._

_Blood was seeping down his chest._

_For a second Tobirama froze in horror. The time around him seemed to stop._

_No. Not him. Not his brother. Not Hashirama._

_He rushed forward, flashing to his fallen brother's side. "Hashi," Tobirama murmured quietly, stroking over_ _Hashirama 's face with a trembling hand... "You…"_

" _Shh…", his brother replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't have much time…I am sorry brother…sorry…I could not stay here longer…I'll leave Konoha to you, little brother."_

" _No," Tobirama replied vehemently. "No! You cannot die Hashirama! I won't allow it!"_

_Hashirama smiled sadly. "I'll leave my dream to you, Nidaime Hokage."_

_His chest stilled._

_For a moment Tobirama just stood there, his mind refusing to acknowledge that his brother had just died._

_Then he rose, his brother's body carefully cradled against his chest, chakra crackling around him in cold fury._

_The air around Tobirama condensed and became warm and dry._

_Every Konoha-nin in the vicinity fled as water crashed against the remaining invaders, crushing them beneath a raging, all-devouring wave._

Naruto felt the tears trickling down his face as the Nidaime ended his tale with a broken voice. "Let's visit him," he suggested suddenly. "Let's visit your brother."

The Second shifted slightly to look at him. "Visit him?" he repeated.

The child released him and gently grabbed his arm, dragging him towards the door. "His tree. Let's visit it."

Tobirama nodded slowly and allowed the young boy to lead the way.

* * *

The ghost watched as the child cheerfully chatted with his brother's tree.

"Your brother has been looking after me," Naruto told the Shodai's wooden memorial. "He's really great. I think I'd be lost without him. He's been teaching me so many things," the child waved his hands excitedly. "Really, he's totally awesome. Well, I guess you were totally awesome too, being his brother and all-"

Tobirama snorted, his heart warming even further towards the young child. Naruto was really precious. Hashirama would have loved him.

 _He_ was starting to love him.

"He's been missing you, you know? He's getting all sad and mopey whenever something reminds him of you."

Tobirama's eyebrow twitched. He was not mopey!

"…but he's getting better. I think he even made a joke some time ago. I didn't really get it, but it _was_ a joke."

The tree's leaves rustled, it almost sounded like laughter. Tobirama crossed his arms and looked away.

"Well…anyways. I just wanted to tell you that he's okay. I promise I'll look after him. He's really important to me, you know."

Tobirama felt himself moving before he even realized what he was doing. His hand landed on the boy's shoulder and Naruto turned to look at him.

"You really are, jiji," the boy told him seriously.

For a moment Tobirama stilled at the child's form of address, strange warring emotions running through him, before his gaze locked with Naruto's and warm blue eyes met a gentle red.

"You are important to me as well, Naruto," the ghost admitted quietly and rested his hand on the child's head.

The cold air blew harshly around them, but neither boy nor ghost felt the icy bite of the first winter's eve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warning:** Battle Scenes, Character Death (mentioned in flashback)
> 
> Kakashi tries really hard. *xD*  
> This chapter is a bit shorter than usual. I did not want to take the impact from the last scene. It's too important for that and it did not feel right to prolong it.


	8. I: The Nidaime Hokage 8

Tobirama's hand closed slowly around the leaf. Ever since he had shared that moment with Naruto his soul's strength had skyrocketed. No longer did he feel like he was a mere shadow between life and death. His grip on this world had solidified. He did no longer feel the strange instinctual and ever-present longing for the beyond.

He was not entirely sure what had caused it, but he strongly suspected that it was connected to his growing bond with the child.

Tobirama's fingers stroked over the leaf in his hands, relishing in the feeling of being able to interact with his surroundings again.

Gingerly he turned his hand.

The leaf did not fall down.

Tobirama smiled and almost fell over when he got tackled by an overly excited young boy. "You did it! Your chakra is back."

Naruto grinned brightly. "That's so cool, jiji!"

The ghost felt himself soften at the child's address. "Yes," he agreed quietly. "I believe it is."

"So what can you do now?" the child inquired enthusiastically. "Teleport? Multiply? Make a big water wall?!"

The man chuckled slightly and brought his hand down to ruffle Naruto's head. "I do not think I am strong enough for that yet," he replied, sounding slightly amused. "But there is something _else_ I might be able to do."

"What?" Naruto asked, jumping back, and looking demandingly at the man.

Tobirama smirked. "This."

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the tiny water hare taking form in the palm of the man's hand.

"Cool!" Curiously he bent forward and tentatively reached out to touch it.

The small water animal immediately jumped into his face.

Naruto yelped in surprise and landed ungracefully on his behind.

The Second actually laughed at the dumbstruck expression on the child's dripping wet face.

Naruto's disgruntlement immediately evaporated, replaced with his joy at seeing the man _laugh_.

* * *

"Naruto seems to be coming along quite well," the Third remarked as he looked over the report Lion had just handed him.

"He does," Lion agreed. "In the two months he has been with us, his speed and agility has improved quite well. We have focused mainly on improving his taijutsu and developing his perception abilities."

"Perception abilities?" the Third inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Naruto has a tendency to lose focus and he gets easily distracted if something does not interest him. To rectify that we came up with exercises that forced him to be fully aware of his surroundings," Lion informed him. "So far we have succeeded in getting him to spot more obvious camouflage attempts and making him wake up once people approach him."

"That sounds like an ANBU skill to have," the Third remarked in an illusory casual tone.

Lion was not deterred by the unvoiced displeasure. "It is. But it is also a very useful defensive skill to have. If he learns to correctly evaluate and use his surroundings, he will have an easier time trying to escape dangerous situations."

The Third nodded slowly. "You are correct."

"And because of this I want to take him on patrol with us."

"Take him on _patrol_?" the Hokage repeated sharply, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Did I not make it clear that he is _not_ an ANBU member?"

"I am aware of that," Lion answered calmly. "But Naruto is ready for his first mission. He needs to gain experience and what would be more secure for him than to join us in patrolling the village? It is an excellent opportunity to try his skills out in the field and we are there to guide him every step of the way."

The Third sighed. "Very well. He can accompany you. But you cannot let anyone find out his identity."

"I have already prepared this," Lion replied and placed a wrapped object on the Hokage's desk.

The man meticulously unwrapped it and looked at a white half-mask with two red stripes next to the eyes.

"It will cover the upper part of his face," Lion explained as the Third carefully examined it. "This way he won't be confused with an ANBU but still be associated with us."

The Hokage nodded slowly. "Approved. Get it registered under his name and mark his occupation and his identity as an S-class secret."

Lion bowed. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Make sure to implore to Naruto that nobody is to know about this."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Anything else to report?"

Lion paused for a moment. "Well…it is more of a request than a report."

"Speak," the Hokage ordered, leaning forward to listen.

"I would like to request permission for Naruto to know our identities."

There was a moment of silence as the Hokage contemplated the ANBU's request. "Are you sure he can keep quiet?"

"He will," Lion answered immediately, absolute certainty in his voice "ANBU or not, he is part of our team now – and we would like to be able to interact with him outside of training."

The Hokage tapped his finger against his pipe, his eyes clouded in thought.

"I cannot allow you to tell him," he finally answered after another very long silence. "But… there will not be any consequences if he were to happen to find out by accident."

Lion understood the underlying message immediately. The Hokage was giving his tacit approval. "Understood, Hokage-sama," he bowed again, silently feeling extremely happy. Accidents could be arranged, after all.

ANBU were masters at it.

* * *

Tobirama stared grimly at the half-mask that had been placed in front of his charge. He was not happy with this development. He did not want Naruto to get involved too deeply with ANBU – and he especially did not want him to don any masks while he was still so young.

It might not have been an ANBU mask, but it was close enough to one. Too close. Secret identities and subterfuge should be left to the more experienced ninja.

He sighed silently as the child gingerly put the white cover over his face, attentively watched by his very giddy ANBU team -and wasn't it strange enough to actually call ANBU _giddy_? But then Team Ke seemed to take quite the pleasure in falling out of the norm.

"Looks good," Parrot finally decided, breaking the anticipatory silence.

"Yeah, really cool," Badger agreed. "You look like a scary little bunny now."

Owl snorted. "A scary bunny? Have you watched too many horror shows again?"

"Nah. Parrot dragged me to a haunted house, and it had that weird fluffy animal thing with red eyes. Scary, I tell you," Badger shuddered.

"That was not an animal," Parrot corrected him drily. "That was the conductor who had tripped over a wire. The fluffy thing was his fur coat and the red eyes you saw were the buttons reflecting the ceiling light."

"In other words, Hare is as scary as a fur coat," Lion concluded, sounding distinctly unimpressed.

The room dissolved into laughter.

"Anyway…", Lion continued once they had calmed down. "I have spoken with the Hokage. You are allowed to accompany us on village patrol."

"I am?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Yes," Lion confirmed. "It is time you gained some experience." He tapped on the mask covering the child's face. "You will be required to wear that while we are out together. Do not take it off unless we tell you," he paused and waited for Naruto to acknowledge his instruction, before continuing. "The mask you a wearing now has been registered under the codename Hare. From now on this will be your name every time you put it on. While you are wearing it, you are not Naruto."

"Okay," the child confirmed, nodding seriously.

"People seen wearing officially registered masks are always addressed by their codenames, even if you happen to know their real identities," Lion carried on. "Naming a mask-wearing person is a very serious crime and will be punished most harshly. The same goes for wearing an official mask without authorization."

The ANBU pulled a sealed scroll out of his pocket and handed it to Naruto.

"Official masks have an identification number that allows to verify their authenticity. This scroll contains yours. Memorize the number and burn the scroll. If you are asked to identify yourself, you will report this number. You will receive a new one as soon as the identification check is done."

Naruto blinked. That sounded…complicated.

Owl laughed and patted his head. "They are pretty strict about security and they don't want to risk anyone's identity being compromised. There is even an entire department in ANBU dedicated to managing the identification process," he leaned and whispered conspiratorially. "But it's all very hush hush."

"Are you going around spilling secrets again, Owl?" Lion asked mildly.

"Who me?" Owl waved his hands. " _Never_."

Lion snorted.

* * *

Naruto was thrilled. This was the first time he actually got an assignment and he even could go out with his team!

He really felt like celebrating loudly.

The Second stopped the child's excited pacing and gave him a stern look. "Naruto. Sit down."

Naruto smiled sheepishly and flopped onto the chair the man had stirred him towards, meeting the Nidaime's serious gaze with his own. "Close your eyes," the man ordered.

Naruto obeyed.

"Center yourself and calm your emotions."

Tobirama waited until the child had stopped fidgeting, before he placed both of his hands on the boy's shoulders and started to speak, his voice carrying with the full weight of his power.

"Always remember, you are a shinobi of Konohagakure now, Uzumaki Naruto. The moment you received your headband you became a soldier first and a child second," Tobirama almost flinched at the harsh truth in his own words and silently apologized to his brother's sadly smiling memory.

"If you let your emotions rule you, you will not only put yourself in grave danger, but also your team and your village as well. If you wish to keep the oath you have given my brother, you need to learn when to be serious and when to play."

Naruto stilled and lowered his head at the severity of the man's words. "I am sorry, jiji," he muttered quietly. "I'll be serious now. I promise."

"I am not angry with you," Tobirama assured him and put his hand on the child's head. "But you need to learn. Now don your mask and get ready," he instructed him gently. "Your team will be here soon."

The child nodded mutely.

* * *

"ANBU guards are usually moving in teams of two," Lion told the masked child. "Hare, you will stay with Owl and me tonight."

Lion looked at the youngest in their midst. "The first thing we need to do is tell Team No that their relief has arrived. Just follow us and observe, Hare."

Naruto glanced at his teacher who nodded at him and agreed. "Okay."

* * *

"What do you see?" Lion asked the child. Naruto tilted his head and concentrated on the street below.

"There are nine people on the street," the child answered. "five men and four women. Three men and a woman are passing through. Two men are smoking behind a dumpster, and the three women are talking with each other."

"Correct," Lion answered. "What else do you see?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes in thought. "The two men are in a good mood. They are laughing."

"Hm," Lion agreed. "What else?"

The child paused. "I don't think that the brown-haired woman likes the one with the blue jacket very much."

"What makes you think that?" Lion inquired neutrally.

"She keeps leaning away from her and her hand twitches when the one with the jacket is talking."

"Very good," Lion praised. "Being capable to read body language is a very valuable skill to have. If you learn how to read people, you will know which mannerisms can be interpreted as a sign for danger. We will work on that. But there is more that you can see. Owl, tell him what he has missed."

"On the second floor of the building across the street a man is preparing a late-night snack. On the first floor, third window to the right, a teenager is losing badly at a video game, you can see it by the way his body moves and his face keeps twitching in frustration. One window to the left and two stories up two best friends are watching a comedy film. The restaurant owner two buildings down is about to close shop, while his chef is secretly feeding a stray cat today's left-overs at the back door, apparently worried about being discovered," Owl rattled off immediately, before offhandedly adding. "Oh…and the smoking men are actually committing a minor crime because the cigarettes they are smoking are medical drugs."

Naruto stared slack-jawed at Owl, trying to process the entire well of information he had just been handed. "Wait..," he finally managed to get out. "Are you saying _drugs_?!"

He whirled around to stare at Lion. "Why aren't you doing anything?!", he demanded to know.

"Because it's not our responsibility," Lion answered calmly. "We are ANBU, not the Uchiha Police Force. Petty crimes are of no interest to us. _Our_ job is to protect the village from external and internal threats, everything else falls under the jurisdiction of the Uchiha. Look – they are already there."

Naruto turned his head into the direction Lion had pointed. Two men bearing the Uchiha clan symbol were closing in on the two smokers.

Cigarettes were dropped as the men attempted to flee, but the officers were faster. Naruto watched as the two men were led away.

A hand landed on his shoulder and he looked up to Lion. "Let's continue or we will fall behind schedule."

Naruto nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of Team Ke in this chapter. Well, it was about time Naruto got some more screen time with them. :D


	9. I: The Nidaime Hokage 9

Tobirama brushed his fingers over his brother's name. He had walked through this door quite often during his own reign, reading through books, files, and scrolls. But this room was not why he was here today.

Reluctantly, he turned his back to his brother's door and stepped through the one labeled _Sarutobi Hiruzen_ , _Sandaime Hokage_.

It was time that he learned more about what had happened after his death, and there was no better place to look than the Hokage archive.

Naruto would be safe in the hands of his team for now.

* * *

Kakashi was ready. He had read his notebook cover to back and back to cover and felt more than ready to tackle the mission.

He had everything planned. From his introduction, over the conversation, up to his exit. Just like he planned every operation.

That was why he found himself at Team Ke's training ground, a gigantic basket filled with tomatoes in his hands, and having no idea what to say.

Team Ke watched incredulously as Hound shoved the basket into Naruto's arms, muttered "For you." and immediately vanished back into the shrubbery, only to reappear several seconds later to poke the child onto his forehead, before disappearing again.

Naruto absently rubbed the sore spot as he stared after the dog masked ANBU, not really knowing what to think of this strange behavior, but still feeling kind of touched at the gesture.

Behind him, Team Ke dissolved into laughter.

* * *

Because his team had kept snickering at the basket, Lion had decided to end their training early today and Naruto quickly said his goodbyes, intent on getting his gift home. About two streets away from his apartment he came across a familiar face. "Itachi-san!"

The teen stopped politely to return his greeting. "Naruto-san. How have you been?"

"Great, thanks!" Naruto answered cheerfully. "Your advice last time really helped."

"I am glad to hear that," Itachi replied, silently wondering if the child had really attempted to trail a bowl of ramen. "I see that you have graduated. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Naruto smiled brightly at him.

Itachi's gaze fell on the gigantic basket in the child's hand. "Why are you carrying so many tomatoes?"

"Oh, that," Naruto scratched his head. "I got them from some dog-masked ANBU. Strange guy. Poked me on the forehead and ran."

"…I see," Itachi replied slowly. His captain and the child could really have been related, he mused silently. Both seemed to have a knack for completely misinterpreting his advice and managing to apply it to food. Quite a peculiar skill.

Well, at least they were trying.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked suddenly, because the teen in front of him seemed rather tired.

Itachi blinked in surprise. There was sudden maturity in the child's tone that threw him completely off. "I am fine. Thank you."

Naruto tilted his head, not really convinced. "Do you have some time now? There is a dango stall I want to try," he added, when the teen visibly hesitated.

Hearing the word dango, Itachi was immediately convinced. "I believe I can spare some time."

Naruto grinned. "Cool! This way, Itachi-san!"

The older teen followed the energetic young boy, smiling slightly.

* * *

After buying a box of dango each and quickly dropping off the tomato basket at Naruto's apartment, they found themselves a quiet spot close to the frozen Naka river and Naruto busied himself with throwing pebbles onto the snow-covered surface. "So you have a brother?"

"Yes," Itachi agreed, opening his dango box. "His name is Sasuke. He is about your age."

Naruto nodded slowly. "How is it?" he asked. "To have a younger brother?"

The teen furrowed his brows in thought. "I am always worried about him," he finally answered, "I wonder if he had a good day, if someone hurt him, if he ate enough…"

"Sounds tough," Naruto muttered around his dango.

"It is," Itachi replied, "But I would not have it another way."

"Hm. Your brother is very lucky to have you," Naruto commented, smiling slightly. A year ago, he would have felt envious about their apparent bond, but now he had someone of his own to rely on. So, his words and the sentiment behind them was completely genuine.

The teen realized that, too, and he threw the boy next to him a thoughtful look. The child's reaction was uncommon. He had grown up without any support, completely on his own, and yet he did not seem to be bitter or envious of others with a family. He had sounded genuinely _happy_ for Sasuke.

Itachi felt his heart softening towards the sincere and lonely child, and he brought his hand up to ruffle his hair. "Do you want to meet him?" he asked.

Naruto froze. Him? Meet another child? His heartbeat quickened in excitement, but then he remembered he was a genin. His schedule was full. He had training, he had patrol, and soon he would have missions, too.

 _Soldier first, child second_.

That was the path he had chosen.

He shook his head. "Thanks, but I don't have time to play. I have to train," Naruto looked at his companion, blue orbs alight with determination. "I have a dream, Itachi-san," he told the older one. "I want to protect Konoha. I want to protect everyone. I want a world without hate and war. I want _peace_."

Something strange flittered through Itachi's eyes at the child's passionate speech, and he suddenly felt like he was looking at someone much older. The boy's words resonated deeply with him and he quickly realized that there was someone else sitting _directly next to him_ whose dream was so similar to his.

"I understand," he answered simply, and he did. "My dream is quite similar," he admitted.

"Really?!" Naruto's eyes widened.

"Yes," Itachi confirmed, and for a moment both of them fell silent, staring at the frozen river and contemplating the implications of the words they had just shared.

Their deep thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a third person wriggled between them, slinging his arms around their shoulders.

"Hey Itachi, hey kid," a very familiar voice greeted them happily. Naruto's head whipped around, and he looked directly into the face of a young man possessing the sharp features unique to the Uchiha clan.

The man grinned at him. "Wanna have a cookie?" he asked playfully.

"You…", Naruto brightened as he recognized the first sentence Owl had ever said to him and immediately threw himself at the young man who accepted his enthusiastic hug with good humor.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at this display. "I was unaware that you two knew each other, Shisui."

"Of course, we do. We are friends. Who wouldn't like such a sunny rabbit?" Shisui gave his best friend a pointed look and Itachi immediately understood, eyeing the younger child with renewed interest.

Naruto looked between his older companions. "Wasn't this a secret?"

Shisui shrugged. "Itachi's a sly weasel. He would have found out, anyway."

This time it was Itachi's turn to be exasperated and Naruto's being curious. Did that mean Itachi-san was ANBU, too?

"So," Shisui asked, looking between both of them. "What were you talking about so seriously?"

"Peace," Naruto answered plainly, offering his box to his older friend.

"Eh?" Shisui responded eloquently as he accepted the offer.

"Naruto-san was sharing his dream with me," Itachi clarified. "It is very similar to my own," he paused, before adding. "And yours."

"Oh," Shisui seemed honestly surprised. "I see."

"Hn," Itachi agreed. It had surprised him, too.

The three of them fell silent again.

"Naruto?" Shisui said finally, never taking his eyes from the frozen river.

"Yes?" the young boy asked, turning to look at him.

Shisui's voice was grim as he continued to speak. "If you ever come across an old man with a cane and a bandaged eye, don't trust him."

Itachi's eyes flickered to Shisui, but he remained quiet.

"Okay?" Naruto answered, confused by Owl's words.

"Good," Shisui ruffled his hair and grinned. "Now let's have some fun, shall we? I bet the two of us can take Mr. Prodigy down."

"Is that a challenge?" Itachi asked drily. "Or are you being megalomaniac again?"

"Megalomaniac? Me? _Never_! Come on, Naruto, start making snowballs. We're so taking him down!"

Less than one minute later the three of them were engaged in a fierce snowball fight, their joyful laughter ringing loudly through the empty clearing.

* * *

It was late afternoon when Naruto finally strolled down the darkened streets, exhausted from his snowball fight.

That was when he saw it. A slight flash of orange out of the corner of his eyes, moving quickly into the direction of the Uchiha district.

Curiously, Naruto trailed after it, sticking close to the shadows.

The figure moved quickly, almost too fast for his eyes, and Naruto had a hard time keeping up with it.

Suddenly the stranger jumped over a high wall at the end of a street and vanished out of sight.

Naruto was left to stare at the blank wall.

He was about to turn around when he suddenly felt cold shivers running down his spine. His neck hairs rose, and his breath quickened. Everything in him told him that he should leave now. He brought his hand up to flicker away but was stopped by a hand closing around his wrist in an iron grip.

"Well, well… what do we have here?" a dark voice whispered quietly into his ear. "A curious little fox."

Naruto slowly turned his head around and stared directly at a spiral orange mask, a single eye spinning red in a kaleidoscopic pattern.

An unexpected, irrational fear gripped Naruto's heart. He wanted to get away from this dangerous, deadly man. Something inside him quivered in both terror and silent rage.

Naruto trembled.

The man laughed lightly. "So you _do_ remember. I wonder, is my little pet doing well?"

He tilted his head and hummed. "No answer? Seems like I have to remind you who your master is."

There was a blur of movement and Naruto impacted harshly with the unforgiving stone wall.

A hand grabbed his collar and yanked him up, pressing him against the hard stone. "Do you feel like answering now, little fox?"

Naruto stared at him, trying to come up with a way to get the man off him, but out of nowhere a figure appeared next to him. Tall, translucent, and _furious_ , anger coming off him in almost tangible waves.

"Naruto."

The Nidaime had arrived.

The masked man looked curiously at the young child as he felt the sudden raise in hostile power.

"Naruto," Tobirama's hand landed on his shoulder and his voice echoed loudly in his ears. "Channel your chakra into me. Now!"

Naruto obeyed, and slowly Tobirama's eyes started to glow. The tension in the air thickened, and the masked man was blown away by a powerful force of concentrated chakra.

"Shunshin, now!" Tobirama ordered, and Naruto's hands moved through the signs.

The orange-masked man stared at the spot the child had just vacated, making no attempt to follow after him. "Interesting," he muttered quietly as his body dissolved. "Very interesting."

* * *

Rain was pouring down the darkened sky and a lonely figure stood watch over the city below, his black cloak billowing behind him.

He turned around as he felt the slight shift in the air, announcing the arrival of a very familiar figure.

The orange-masked man stepped out of the dimensional rift.

"Pain."

"Madara," the cloaked figure replied calmly, inclining his head in greeting. "You have arrived earlier than expected. Have you already finished what you intended to do?"

"No," Madara answered, stepped past the man, and looked at the dark, cloudy sky. "I have been interrupted. There was an… unexpected development."

"An unexpected development?" Pain repeated, furrowing his brows. "Will it impact our plans?"

Madara paused. "Perhaps. If we allow it to," he tapped his fingers against the windowsill.

"There will be a change in our plans," Madara turned to look at Pain. "The Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki cannot be allowed to grow."

"You are worried about an untrained _child_?" Pain inquired, disbelievingly.

"This child," Madara answered. "Managed to throw me across a street with a single chakra blast. If we allow him to improve his skills, he might become a serious threat one day."

Surprise shone in Pain's ringed eyes. "This is indeed unexpected. But what do you propose we do? We are not ready yet and we won't be for at least another six years."

"Capture him," Madara replied immediately. "Seal his chakra and make him your prisoner."

"You want me to lock him up?"

"I do not care what you do with him," Madara responded. "Just make sure that he never sees the light of the day until the day he dies."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tobi is a BAD boy! ໒( ᓀ ‸ ᓂ )७
> 
> YAY! We've touched the main plot! *celebrates* Eh...yes. Sorry about that. Anyways. There's quite a lot happening in this chapter. 
> 
> Kakashi makes his first attempt at being a brother, Shisui gets to spent time with Naruto, Itachi finds someone else who wants peace, a not so mysterious masked man appears, Tobirama channels Naruto's chakra to aid in his battle - and Pain is there, too! Quite an eventful day. :D


	10. I: The Nidaime Hokage 10

"Are you injured? ", Tobirama asked him the moment they entered the apartment, his red eyes scanning sharply over the young child, looking for injuries.

Naruto rapidly shook his head. "No…I am not…but…what _happened_?! Who was that guy? Did you just throw him down the street?!" the questions fell out of his mouth in a constant, agitated stream.

The Nidaime put a steady hand on the boy's shoulder and fixed him with a calm gaze. "Relax, child. I am here. You are safe now."

Naruto sagged into the man's firm grip as the Second's chakra wrapped around them like a protective cocoon; sharp, dominant, and powerful.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Tobirama asked, once the small form in his arms had stopped trembling.

Naruto nodded slowly against the man's chest and began to speak, his voice sounding rather muffled.

Tobirama listened to his retelling with furrowed brows, subconsciously drawing the child closer to him.

"Are you sure his eye was red?"

"Yes," Naruto confirmed quietly, peeking up to look at the ghost because the man's voice had sounded strangely tense.

"And he called you little fox and asked after his pet?"

"Hmhm."

* * *

Tobirama was alarmed. A mysterious masked man had been sighted close to the Uchiha district, had attacked Naruto - and called the Nine-Tails his pet.

To make things even worse, the attacker's eye had been red with "weird black things in it," as Naruto had so aptly described it.

The conclusion Tobirama drew out of these facts was not reassuring. It sounded very much like Naruto had come across an Uchiha.

An Uchiha who might be responsible for the Kyuubi attack seven years before.

But why had the man turned up now?

What had he been doing so close to the Uchiha district?

Was he living there?

Were more Uchiha involved in this?

Or was he a rouge like Madara?

Tobirama had countless questions and zero answers.

One thing was sure, though. He needed to up the child's training. If he hadn't been there tonight, this incident might have ended quite differently.

The ghost glanced at the sleeping child. He was loath to leave him alone so soon after this incident, but he needed to know what Hiruzen thought about today's happenings.

Tobirama brushed over Naruto's hair, a soft green glow illuminating his hand as he deepened the child's sleep, before he reluctantly left for the Hokage tower.

* * *

The Nidaime stood behind his former student, as the Third looked sharply at the assembled ANBU in front of him. "There was nobody there?"

"No, Hokage-sama," the Wolf masked ANBU answered. "We searched the entire surroundings, but we did not find anything amiss. There was no distinct chakra residue and Hound's search came up empty, too."

"So, you are telling me that there was enormous chakra blast in the middle of Konoha and you have no idea where it originated from?" the Hokage snapped, slapping his hand on the tabletop.

Tobirama watched in displeasure as the assembled ninja exchanged clueless looks. He did not judge them for not being able to find the source, it had been him, after all, but their lack of action irked him.

They should have closed down the entire village as soon as it had happened, but instead of that the village's elite was assembled in a single room, musing over the source of the chakra.

"Could it have been the Nine Tails?" one of the shinobi asked and shivered slightly when he suddenly felt Tobirama's invisible, but cold gaze on him.

Someone snorted loudly in derision. "If you are incapable of differentiating between a chakra blast and tailed beast attack you should think about revisiting the academy."

There was soft laughter across the room and the shinobi who had suggested it looked away in embarrassment.

"Kakashi is correct," the Third agreed. "This has nothing to do with the Kyuubi. Now, has anyone some _useful_ suggestions?"

Tobirama raised his head as he felt a strong signature approaching. He watched as the door was opened and an old man entered the room.

The Nidaime recognized him immediately, even though he had aged tremendously.

It was Shimura Danzo, a member of his old guard.

He was still alive.

"Any progress yet?" Danzo inquired immediately, zeroing in on the village leader.

A flash of well-hidden annoyance flitted over the Hokage's face. "No," he replied curtly and turned towards the ANBU. "Search again. We need to find the cause before people start pointing fingers and make up conspiracy theories. You have two hours, if you still have not found anything by that time, start the cover-up. Dismissed."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," the assembled shinobi answered in unison and left the office one by one.

"Do you wish for me to search as well?" Danzo inquired once they were alone.

The Sandaime gave him a dry look. "Are you honestly telling me that you have not already done so?"

Danzo remained unimpressed. "I am only looking out for Konoha's future."

"Then kindly do so from outside this office," The Third replied, rising from his chair. "I have a meeting witch Uchiha Fugaku now."

Danzo threw him a displeased look and turned to leave. "Very well."

* * *

Tobirama glanced at the clock above the Hokage's desk. The meeting had only lasted twenty minutes.

Naruto would be asleep for a while longer, so he might as well use this chance to see what Danzo had been up to.

Perhaps he would get to see Danzo's family?

He wondered what kind of woman the man could have married. Considering his character, it would certainly have to be a formidable kunoichi.

Very interested now, Tobirama followed the man's chakra signature.

* * *

The ghost frowned as the signature started to lead him to the outskirts of the town. What was he doing so far out there? Had Danzo moved out here? But then why did he feel the man's signature coming from the _ground_?

Was there a room below him?

Tobirama furrowed his brows, channeled his spiritual energy and slowly sunk down.

He found himself floating inside a gigantic, rectangular room that reminded him strangely of the Hokage's office. The chair behind the large desk was occupied by a very familiar person.

It was Danzo.

The Nidaime narrowed his eyes. Just what had he discovered here? Why was Danzo sitting behind a desk in an _underground_ office like some shadow Hokage?

His intuition told him he had stumbled across something that should be investigated further.

Throwing a last apprehensive glance at the man behind the desk, Tobirama stepped through the office door.

* * *

It was not only an office. It was an entire _facility_. Tobirama came across several masked people looking strangely similar to Konoha's ANBU.

But they weren't.

Tobirama knew the signature of the real Badger ANBU and the person wearing the mask had an entirely different one.

He was furious.

Why was there an entire organization of pretend ANBU running around inside Konoha?

Did Hiruzen know about this?

Grimly the ghost floated through a heavily looked door into the deeper parts of the facility. The area was growing darker now as the metallic walls made place for crude, rough stone.

The silence was almost eerie, but Tobirama still moved on, intent on finding out more about this place.

Doors appeared at both sides of the corridors. Tobirama stopped in front of the first one, his finger tracing over the intricate seals etched into the heavy wood.

Chakra suppression, Solidity Enforcement, Temperature control, Noise cancelation.

Tobirama's eyes narrowed. This were the kind of seals you would put on a prison cell.

He stepped through the door and froze at the sight of his brother's preserved remains laying on top of the operation table.

Tobirama could feel his chakra flare inside him, his posture froze in silent fury, the ferocious, angry fire inside him burning even brighter as he remembered Hashirama's blood-covered form.

How _dare_ they!

Icy coldness settled into his eyes.

Danzo.

He had trusted this man.

Seen him as one of his confidants.

Made him part of the elite.

And that was how he thanked him?

By breaking his trust?

By undermining the Hokage's authority and creating an underground organization?

**_By defiling his brother's memory?!_ **

Did he really think that he could run around unchecked just because he was dead?

He had betrayed his trust.

He would pay.

Dearly.

Tobirama stroked gently over his brother's cheek. "I swear I will get you out of here, brother."

* * *

Grass was tickling against Naruto's bare feet and a soft breeze mussed his unruly hair up even further.

A soft glowing light appeared in front of him, slowly taking the form of a humanoid figure. "Naruto," a male voice whispered softly, and the boy squinted his eyes to see just who was talking to him.

The man's outline was familiar, almost as if he had seen it before and there was something about his presence that made Naruto relax immediately. He instinctively knew that the person in front of him was safe. In fact, he reminded him very much of the Shodai's tree.

Wait. The tree?

Could it be?

"Shodai-sama?" he asked hesitantly.

The figure laughed lightly, the light around it receding and slowly revealing the form of Senju Hashirama. "Yes, Naruto."

Hashirama stepped forward and smiled gently at the young child. "I owe you my gratitude, young one. Without you my brother would have been lost."

Naruto's eyes widened, and he hastily shook his head. "I didn't do anything!" he protested immediately. "I don't think he needs me. I would be the one lost without him!"

The First chuckled. "You truly are a precious child, Naruto. Do not underestimate the influence you have on him. My little brother still laments my death even though it has claimed both of us," the man's eyes saddened. "It broke my heart when I heard of his fate. I feared he would be cursed to wander around for eternity, a mere shadow unseen by all. But then," his smile was back. "You came along and reached out to him. And he opened up to you in return."

A mischievous twinkle entered his eyes. "I am glad you think we are awesome, though. Even if I am just considered so by association."

Naruto immediately blushed. "You…you heard that?"

"I am watching over both of you now," Hashirama replied lightly. "And whenever you are around my tree, my vision is the clearest. So, to answer your question: I heard everything."

Naruto's blush deepened even further, and the man's gaze on him softened. "I was very happy about your updates on my brother," he admitted. "You have a kind heart, Naruto. I could not find someone more fitting to entrust my legacy to."

He laid a solemn hand on the child's shoulder. "I believe you can manage what I failed to do. I leave my dreams in your hands, Naruto. My dreams, and my little brother."

Naruto swallowed at the heavy responsibility the First had just handed to him. But he was ready for it. "I won't disappoint you, Shodai-sama," he replied, meeting the man's eyes with determined blue orbs.

A hand ruffled his hair. "I know you won't," he paused for a moment, before adding. "I may be dead by now, but I would still be glad to call you family. My brother has all but adopted you."

He had barely finished when he already had a very excited child in his arms. Laughing, he returned the boy's enthusiastic embrace. "I take that as agreement," he commented amusedly.

Naruto nodded into his chest. Of course, he agreed! How could he deny anyone who wanted to be part of his family? Especially not his jiji's older brother!

There was a moment of silence, before Hashirama spoke again. "I will have to go soon," he informed the child regretfully. "My time is running out. I have only been allowed to visit you for a short time."

Naruto immediately tightened his grip around him.

"I have to tell you something important, Naruto. Please listen closely."

Hashirama's voice took a serious tune as he continued. "My brother just made a disconcerting discovery. I cannot tell you what happened, because I am not allowed to interfere, but I can tell you this: Whatever he does, or however he acts, you _never_ have to fear him. So, don't let him scare you off and just treat him normally."

Naruto froze slightly at that ominous warning, his mind whirling with questions. He opened his mouth to ask, but was stopped by Hashirama's next words.

"My time is up now," the First told him sadly. "Give my little brother a hug from me, will you?" he asked as he slowly began to fade away. "And please tell him that I love him and that I am very proud of him."

Naruto extended his hand towards the dissolving figure, as if trying to keep him from disintegrating, but his fingers brushed right through him.

Tears trickled down the boy's cheeks. "I will, Hashirama-jiji!" he yelled loudly, his eyes burning with an intense fire.

A bright smile illuminated Hashirama's almost transparent face. Then was gone.

Naruto's eyes opened to the sight of his bedroom ceiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really threw you off last chapter, right? *xD* To be honest, this was the scene I had planned from the very start.
> 
> At least you all know now why I gave Naruto so many resources.
> 
> As a fun fact, the entire fic is being written just because I wanted Tobi to say: "The Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki cannot be allowed to grow." Lots of work for a single sentence, hm? *xD*


	11. I: The Nidaime Hokage 11

Naruto was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he had just met _Senju Hashirama_ when said man's younger brother suddenly appeared next to him.

The child lowered his spoon and turned to welcome the ghost, but his words failed him when he saw the cold expression on the man's face.

 _'My brother just made a disconcerting discovery.'_ , the Shodai's words still rang clearly in his head.

Whatever this discovery had been, it must have affected him deeply. He had seen hints of his jiji's cold fury before, but it had never been close to this level.

For a moment Naruto felt like he had walked into the eye of a raging storm.

Calm.

Dangerous.

Deadly.

 _"You never have to fear him,"_ Hashirama's words whispered quietly into his ear and Naruto resolutely put his spoon down, hopping down the chair to throw his arms around the man's waist.

For several long seconds, Tobirama simply stared at him before his gaze softened slightly and a hand landed gently on the child's head.

"I had a dream last night," Naruto informed him quietly. "I saw your brother."

Tobirama stiffened. "You saw… _Hashirama_?" he whispered, almost inaudibly.

Naruto nodded. "He said that you made a dico.. disco.. dinoncenting discovery."

"Disconcerting," Tobirama corrected automatically, trying to wrap his mind around the child's words. Had his brother really visited Naruto in his dreams? Why? _How_?

"What else did he say?" he asked, trying to keep the urgency out of his tone.

"He was worried about you," Naruto answered. "He is happy that you are not alone and…", the child paused and raised his head to look at the man. "He said that he is proud of you and that he loves you."

He tightened his arms around the ghost. "This hug is from him."

Tobirama blinked, the cold pressure around him subsiding, and he huffed out a small laugh. "Already dead and still watching out for me. That is just like him."

He sighed deeply and pressed the child tightly against him. "Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto nodded against his stomach. "There was something else he said," he added, hesitant to break the mood.

"What was it?" the Nidaime asked quietly.

"He said…", the child fidgeted uncertainly. "He said…" Naruto swallowed, suddenly feeling very unsure.

No. He couldn't say it.

What if Hashirama-ji- the First was wrong?

Sure, Tobirama-jiji had been very nice to him. But did that really make them family?

Naruto threw an overly cheerful smile at the man and tried to wriggle out of the embrace. "It's a secret."

The ghost frowned and easily kept the child in place. "Do not use masks with me, Naruto," he chided him. "Your acting skills are sorely lacking, and I do not appreciate being lied to. What did my brother say, and why do you think I would disapprove of it?"

Naruto's shoulders slumped. He should have known better than trying to trick the _Nidaime_.

Fine.

"He said that you had all but adopted me," the child mumbled, quoting Hashirama's words. "And that he would be glad to call me family." The last sentence was added almost inaudibly.

Tobirama froze for a second, a strange expression flitting over his face before it eased into something that could only be described as fond tranquility. "He really has not changed at all."

Naruto tilted his head, confused by the man's easy reaction.

"Well, technically he is correct," Tobirama's eyes lowered to meet his. "The Senju and Uzumaki clans have always been very close. In fact, we consider each other sister clans, because we share an ancestry long before we split into our respective clans. You and I are related, very distantly."

"Really?!" Naruto replied, staring wide-eyed at the ghost.

"Yes," the man agreed. "In some way, we are indeed family."

* * *

Tobirama knew that he had just answered and evaded the child's indirect question at the same time. Nothing he had said was a lie, but it did not truly relate to the true meaning behind his brother's words.

He knew his brother well enough to know that Hashirama had not meant the _literal_ relation. He had meant the _personal_ one. The one between Tobirama and Naruto and not the one between the Senju and Uzumaki clans.

But the child was still skittish and insecure when it came to bounds. So, the best thing he could do was to inform him of the one connection that could never be severed.

To give Naruto something to claim and cling to.

Feelings could change, but your ancestry didn't.

Tobirama had always been the practical one.

And speaking of practical. There was something else he had to do.

He had been hesitant about telling Naruto the extent of Danzo's betrayal. He wanted to shield him a bit longer, preserve at least some of the innocence that had been robbed from his youngest brother – along with his life – when he had been the same age as Naruto.

But then he had remembered his younger brothers.

Itama, Kawarma. They had lost their lives way too young in a war they should never have been forced to fight in.

He did not want Naruto to join the long list of people he had lost.

The child needed to hear the truth.

For his own protection.

Or he would never understand the danger his former student posed now.

"Sit down, Naruto," the Second told him firmly. "There is something you need to hear."

* * *

Naruto was angry. Very angry. How someone could do something so…so _mean_ was beyond his comprehension. He really wanted to go and give that Danzo person a piece of his mind.

It had taken Tobirama quite some time to get the incensed child do calm down and even longer to stop him from storming up to the Hokage and demanding the man's immediate arrest.

It was the reminder that Naruto could not explain the source of his knowledge that finally stopped the child's raging. That and the fact that Tobirama had promised to deal with it in his own way.

Judging by the way Naruto's kitchen window almost froze over at the Nidaime's declaration, it would not be a pleasant experience.

The child wisely decided not to get in the way of the ghost's plotting, and he busied himself with searching for a place to put his tomatoes while he waited for his team to arrive.

To his surprise, it was only Shisui who found him an hour later.

"Most of the team is still resting because they spent the entire night searching the village," the young man informed him. "We won't be training today, but we can do something else."

He waved a piece of paper into the boy's face. "We can test your affinity."

The air shifted slightly as Tobirama appeared next to them, looking rather interested.

"What do I have to do?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Channel chakra into it," Shisui answered, grinning brightly.

Naruto happily took the offered paper and called upon his chakra.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Three pairs of eyes watched incredulously as the paper damped and clumps of wet earth dropped to the ground.

"I don't believe it," Shisui muttered quietly.

Tobirama felt a sudden sense of déjà vu when he saw the paper react the exact way his brother's had a lifetime ago.

Water and Earth.

Of equal strength.

* * *

"This will remain a secret," Shisui told Naruto once he had calmed himself down. "You cannot tell _anybody_ about this."

"He is correct," Tobirama agreed immediately. "This is another one of those dangerous secrets I have told you about. Especially with someone like Danzo around." His face darkened. "If someone asks, your affinity is water. Do not let anyone know that you have the ability to develop a bloodline limit."

Naruto nodded, dumbfounded. "Okay…"

Shisui rose his eyebrows. "You are not asking why?"

"I don't need to," Naruto answered resolutely, meeting Shisui's gaze with a serious one of his own. "I know why."

His friend laughed in amused surprise and leaned forward to ruffle his hair. "You really keep surprising me, kid. Let's keep this a secret between the two of us, okay?" He winked.

He received his answer in form of a very tight hug courtesy of an extremely happy child.

Shisui easily returned his hug. "You are welcome, Naruto. Now let's go and bug Itachi, shall we?"

Tobirama's esteem for the Uchiha was raising quickly. To promise to keep a secret like this from even the _Hokage_. He was torn between being grateful for his discretion and being appalled at his lack of dutifulness.

If someone had kept a secret like that from him, he would have been _very_ displeased. But then again, he was not really Hokage anymore, was he? He was Senju Tobirama now, and while he still desired to protect the village, his current duty was now far more direct.

It was to guide and shield Uzumaki Naruto.

His brother's legacy.

And if he had anything to say about it: The future Hokage of Konohagakure.

* * *

Uchiha Itachi had been lucky. His unit had not been among the ones called to investigate the chakra disturbance.

The Uchiha suspected that it was because of his clan affiliation and the close proximity of the incident to the clan compound.

Shisui had not been called in either, even though his team had been running around the entire day and night.

Neither his father nor the Uchiha elders had been very pleased about being excluded from that particular investigation.

Unwilling to listen to their complaints, it was hardly _his_ fault he had been excluded, he had excused himself to go training. It was an excuse that always worked well with them. Nobody wanted to stop him from furthering his abilities and bringing honor to the clan.

Thankfully, Sasuke was still in the academy, and Itachi was silently relieved that his little brother had not been forced to listen to this.

He wanted him to grow up happily.

But sadly enough, that was not something within his powers to grant. All he could do was to excel and shield Sasuke as much as he could.

His dark musings were interrupted by two very familiar figures flickering in front of him in practiced unison. He absently wondered how long they had rehearsed getting that one down and raised his eyebrows at the overly dramatic "Ta-da," he got from both of them in lieu of a greeting.

"Well done," he complimented them drily. "Do you wish for me to sign you up for a circus performance?"

"Naruto, I think we have to eat all these sweets alone," Shisui told the younger boy mock-seriously. "Itachi is being mean again."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "You can have the pocky then."

"Pocky?" Itachi was instantly interested.

"Only for nice people," Shisui replied, dangling the box in front of his best friend's face.

Itachi rolled his eyes and snatched the box. "You two are the best shinobi to ever grace this patch of snow-covered grass with your presence."

Naruto huffed. "That's hardly impressive considering that it has just stopped snowing." He mentally patted himself on the shoulder for actually managing to use so many grown-up words. Trying to decipher his jiji's lectures was really paying off.

Shisui shot him another surprised look while Itachi's lips twitched slightly in amusement. "Exactly."

Naruto threw a strawberry biscuit at his face.

Itachi caught it easily.

* * *

The orange-masked man was staring at the waterfall roaring down between the two imposing statues, his legs dangling down the Uchiha's head.

"How is the situation?" he inquired, not turning his head away from the natural boundary.

" **The Search has stopped**. Konoha is calming down," a shadowed figure answered, its blurred outlines sharpening as it slowly emerged out of the ground. "They have found no chakra residue."

"So the child managed to conceal it," the masked man replied easily. "Interesting."

"You had the child within your grasp," the shadowed figure muttered, stepping closer. "Why did you not take him? **He would have been helpless within your dimension**."

"Are you questioning me?" the orange-masked man asked sharply. "I have plans, Zetsu and it will be an excellent test for... Pain."

"A test?"

"He is a very driven individual," the masked man answered, slowly rising to his feet. His steps were soundless as he approached the edge of the statue, a tiny flame igniting on top of his palm. "But I wonder how far he is willing to go to reach his goals. There is a difference between killing someone and robbing a child of his youth. I want to see what he will do."

The flame wavered in his hand. "Will he show mercy?"

"Or will he crush him?" Fingers closed slowly around the quivering flame. The orange light flickered in desperation and disappeared.

"What will you do, _Uzumaki Nagato_?"

Yellow and red eyes followed the smoke slowly fading towards the moon's bright gaze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter! Well more bonding happening (I just love writing Shisui, Itachi and Naruto together, so you will see more of them :D) And I am being mean again by showing Tobi right after, yet again. *xD*
> 
> A word on affinities: I know it's not that strange to have two different ones, but in this fic people usually don't have two affinities of equal strength that follow each other in the elemental circle. It usually means that they have the ability to develop a bloodline limit.
> 
> On another note. My workload increased a bit (too many ill /quarantined coworkers :-/), so it'll take me a few days longer to update.


	12. I: The Nidaime Hokage 12

Kakashi was fairly sure that his last gift had been well-received. After all, he had followed Itachi's advice to the T, right? And his team's newest ANBU member had to know what he was talking about, having a younger brother of his own.

That was why Kakashi found himself bent over his notes, looking for the best way to proceed.

Pakkun threw a mildly confused look at his summoner because the last time he had checked, Kakashi surely had not needed _reading glasses_ –and in his opinion the magnifying glass was a bit over the top, too.

Really, Kakashi should just give the kid something to gnaw on. Kids loved toys, right? Maybe he should suggest a rubber bone?

Or perhaps a rubber ramen cup? Pakkun scratched his head and continued watching his studious summoner, lazily chewing on a piece of steak.

* * *

Tobirama watched as the young boy dodged under Parrot's strike, only to jump out of the way of Badger's shuriken.

The two men were tag-teaming the child, engaging him at a pace so quickly, Naruto had barely time to think.

The Nidaime carefully cataloged each of the boy's movements, storing it away for future evaluation. He was rather satisfied with what he was seeing so far. Naruto was getting more flexible, and his reaction speed had improved immensely. But it was still not enough.

Not enough to hold up against the threat, Tobirama could feel slowly creeping closer.

He would have to thoroughly speed up Naruto's training.

And there was only one way to do it.

Tobirama waited until Badger had pinned the child down, effectively ending their sparring match (and today's training), before he signed for Naruto to follow him towards the ledge.

The child replied with a subtle twitch of his head, signaling "Affirmative," and proceeded to give his team a happy goodbye.

* * *

"You seem tense, Itachi," Shisui remarked calmly, silently coming to a stop next to his best friends. "Are the elders bothering you again?"

His friend smiled grimly. "They are getting more insistent. I have recently been asked some rather pointed questions."

"They are still doubting your loyalty to the clan," Shisui muttered quietly.

Itachi snorted. "The Uchiha are part of Konohagakure." He bent down, picked up a stone and threw it angrily into the river. The surface cracked. "There should be no distinction between us and them."

"And yet there is," Shisui sighed quietly.

"I am worried," Itachi finally admitted after a long silence. "If they truly go through with that…"

"They won't," Shisui replied firmly. "If it comes to that, I will do it."

"I'd rather you would not have to," his friend answered, keeping his eyes on the frozen river.

"I am not exactly looking forward to it, either." Shisui ran his hand through his hair. He looked rather defeated. "What about Danzo?"

Itachi grimaced. "You know his position. Threats to Konoha have to be..."

"Terminated," Shisui finished, looking glum. "Yeah."

There was another silence.

"Sasuke is still oblivious?"

"Yes," Itachi answered fiercely, not even pausing to think. "He will not get dragged into this. I _will_ make sure of it."

Shisui smiled lightly. "Good. At least one kid should keep his innocence."

Itachi threw him a knowing look. "You are talking about Naruto."

The young man hummed in agreement. "He's a very perceptive kid, and sometimes I swear he knows more than he lets on."

"How so?" Itachi asked, interested and eager to change the subject.

Shisui's lips twitched. "He actually gave all of us a five-minute lecture on why it's a bad idea to throw up barriers during combat."

His friend laughed. "He did?"

"Yeah, he got really passionate about it, too," Shisui chuckled. "And when Badger did it anyway, Naruto smuggled a slug into his backpack while Badger was busy talking with Lion."

Itachi was snickering by now, his dark mood instantly forgotten.

* * *

Naruto threw a curious look at his teacher. Tobirama-jiji seemed to be rather deep in thought today, and the look he was now throwing at the child gave Naruto a strange sense of foreboding.

"Um, jiji?" he suddenly began, hesitant to interrupt the man's musings. "Can I ask you something?"

The Second raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"My chakra natures...are they really that uncommon?"

"Yes," Tobirama answered, fixing the boy with a serious look. "Even if someone is born with two affinities, they are rarely of equal strength. Usually, one affinity is more dominant than the other. In your case, water and earth are equally dominant."

"So, I really might be able to combine them?" Naruto sounded almost hesitant.

The Nidaime paused and considered the child in front of him. "We have to wait and see. We shall revisit this topic once you have learned to control both of your natures."

Naruto was not really satisfied with that answer, but he agreed anyway.

"The recent events have proven that the pace you are growing at is not quick enough," the ghost told him in a solemn voice. "We have no idea who this masked man was that attacked you, but I have a feeling that we have not seen him for the last time."

The Nidaime paused and gazed sternly at the child. "As it stands, you are currently no match for him. If you were to engage him as you are now, you would be dead in less than a second."

Naruto's eyes widened. "So, he's as strong as _ji –_ the Hokage?"

Tobirama smiled wryly, absently noting the fact that the child had rescinded the familiar address. "Hiruzen might be a strong shinobi, but he is definitely not the strongest one out there. The world is vast, child and not confined to this village. "

His face turned serious, and he put a hand on the stunned boy's shoulder. "There will always be someone out there who is stronger than you, Naruto. Never forget that. Be proud of who you are and what you can do, but always keep in mind that the person in front of you might just be the one able to defeat you. Never underestimate your opponent."

Naruto nodded slowly, still trying to wrap his head around the power scale.

"This man, is he stronger than _you_?" he finally asked, not really sounding like he believed it to be possible.

Something like amusement flitted over the Second's face at Naruto's disbelieving tone. "I am not sure, Naruto," he answered honestly. "I believe I could have dealt with him while I was in my prime, and my brother would have certainly defeated him easily. Between the two of us he would never have prevailed."

He paused and stepped away from the child. "As for the question, if I were able to defeat him now, well, I would prefer it to remain unanswered for now. I will not risk your safety while you are under my protection."

"Then I'll get stronger!" Naruto replied confidently, looking determinately at the man. "And I'll start now!"

* * *

Tobirama felt strangely nostalgic when he saw the fire in the child's eyes. He vividly remembered little Itama looking just as enthusiastic shortly before death had claimed him.

He really loathed what he was about to do, but there was no other choice. With the masked Uchiha and Danzo around, Tobirama could not afford to take any risks.

Naruto's safety was of the highest priority now.

He mentally apologized to his brother.

* * *

The child felt the Nidaime's attention settle on him and suddenly the man's presence sharpened, the softness around him falling away until the teacher was gone, and the warrior emerged.

Dangerous and deadly.

"I hope your determination holds," Tobirama told him. "Because we are going to up your training now. Make three clones, Naruto. I am going to do something that I haven't done in a very long time."

Slightly nervous at the man's ominous tone, the child obeyed. "What are you going to do, jiji?"

The man smiled mirthlessly. "I am going to put you through the Senju wartime training regimen."

* * *

**End Book I**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, that one's a short one. But there's not much left to tell in this arc, so I ended it here. It's mostly to clear up confusions and to show what people are currently doing.
> 
> But now it's your turn! I am up for suggestions on how to tackle Naruto's training! You have the entire week to [spam me](https://linewalkers.tumblr.com) with your ideas on what the Senju could have possibly taught their clansmen. The first three people whose ideas I like get to come up with something Tobirama can do to annoy Danzo! (Just keep in mind that is has to fit his personality ;-) Let's help him get revenge together. :D
> 
> This is my thank you for all these lovely comments you are leaving me =) 


	13. II: Crimson Eyes 1

## Book II: Crimson Eyes

The _Rusted Pot_ was a dingy bar at the very borders of Kumo and not a place normal people used to frequent. It was a gambling place, a hotspot for informants, and one of the haunts missing-nin usually could be found hanging out at.

The man was aware of that. It was one of the reasons he had changed his appearance. It would not be good to be noticed here. Unnecessary attention on himself was the last thing he needed now.

A bag of coins met the grabby counter, and the bartender looked up, drawn in by the clinking sound.

"What do ya want?" the man grinned at his customer, showing his rotten teeth.

"A message from Taka," the disguised man demanded, unfazed by the odor leaving the unkept bartender's mouth.

"Ah, yes." A dirty wet rag met the stained counter, and the bartender left into the backroom.

The customer waited until the man returned and snatched the crumbled envelope out of his hand before it could meet the unsanitary counter.

"Fancy doing business with ya." The barkeeper attempted an ingratiating smile, but it only served to put his customer off even more.

The disguised man nodded curtly at him and immediately left the establishment.

He waited until he was sure that he was not being followed before he unsealed the envelope.

Dark eyes scanned quickly over the short message.

_J,_

_Meeting required._

_Code Blue._

_\- S_

The man narrowed his eyes. Code Blue. It was the highest emergency code he could have received. His informant had come across something important. Something that was vital to the village's security.

Something that would put his informant into grave danger.

He changed his course. His return to Konoha would be postponed once more.

Jiraiya's meeting with his godson had to be delayed just a bit longer.

* * *

Tobirama was speed. Tobirama was precision.

His movements too quick for the child's eyes.

The punch meant for Naruto's face hit the bark of the tree with a loud cracking sound. The tree swayed. Cracks appeared on the bark.

Naruto's hand tightened around his kunai and bit his lip. His eyes moving rapidly to scan his surroundings.

Suddenly, the air next to him shifted.

A spark of chakra. A flash of movement.

Metal met metal with a loud clinking sound.

Naruto hissed as the weapon grazed the back of his hand.

He stepped back, a faint scent of blood in his nose, mixing with the distinct salty smell of sweat.

Naruto's breathing went heavier as the air surrounding him dried.

He flickered away.

Water crashed down on the spot he had been standing on just a second before.

His breathing quickened.

His tongue brushed nervously over his dry lips.

Where was jiji?

He could not see him.

Could not feel him.

But he knew he had to be there.

Where was he?

_"Ompf!"_

Something hard impacted with his back and Naruto hit the ground with a pained groan. His sweat-covered body shuddered as it came in contact with the chilly snow.

Cool metal settled against his neck.

It was over.

Naruto had lost.

But he was not really willing to give up yet. He did not like losing.

As always, Tobirama seemed to be aware of his thoughts.

"Not every battle is worth to be fought," he told him calmly; shifting slightly to pin the child down. "Not every skirmish vital. It is crucial that you learn to differentiate between battles you cannot afford to lose and those who are not important in the long run. Do not waste your efforts on pointless fights. Do not engage unless necessary and do not be too proud to admit defeat if you can afford it. It is better to lose one battle, than to keep your pride and lose the entire war. "

Naruto stilled, mulling over the man's words.

"So," Tobirama continued, marginally increasing the strength of his hold. "Tell me, child. This battle. Is it necessary or not?"

There was a long moment of silence as Naruto struggled with himself.

"…Not," Naruto answered finally, sounding almost reluctant.

Tobirama remained silent, patiently waiting for him to continue.

"I…" Naruto began and frowned at how unsteady his voice sounded. "I," he tried again, his voice way firmer than before. "I surrender."

The restraining hand moved from his back to his head and ruffled slightly through his hair.

"Good," his teacher answered, raising to his feet.

Naruto pushed himself into an upright position and smiled almost shyly at the ghost.

The Nidaime's expression softened for a moment before the stern look returned to his eyes and he was all business again.

"You might remember, "Tobirama began slowly, his eyes clouded with memories. "That the Senju and Uchiha clans used to be enemies for a very long time. We battled and fought each other for countless times. Because of this reason the Senju became most proficient in defeating Uchiha opponents and…", he paused for a moment. "their dojutsu."

"The Sharingan," Naruto supplied, nodding in understanding.

"Yes," the Second agreed. "They were our main opponents and most of our training is geared to defeating them." Something that was really useful now, Tobirama added silently. "The orange-masked man that attacked you is mostly likely an Uchiha, too – or at least came into possession of a Sharingan."

"Came into possession?" Naruto repeated, throwing a confused look at the ghost. "How so?"

"By stealing it," the Nidaime answered grimly. "A dojutsu can be stolen…by taking out the eyes."

Naruto stared at him in undisguised disgust. "You can take out eyes?!"

"You can," Tobirama confirmed. "Of course, a stolen dojutsu will never be as effective in a thief's hands as it is in its owners, but it still poses a danger."

Naruto grimaced. "That's gross."

Tobirama's lips twitched slightly, and he returned to the matter at hand. "Obviously, the best way to defeat a Sharingan user is to avoid looking into their eyes. If they cannot meet your gaze, they cannot cast a genjutsu on you. "

That sounded logical.

"Our next exercise will train your speed, your reaction time and your ability to fight without your sight. Make two clones."

Almost immediately three children looked expectantly at him.

Seeing the look in their eyes Tobirama was once again painfully reminded of how young Naruto was. He did not allow himself to dwell on it, just like he had never allowed himself to actively remember his younger brothers' ages while he was training them.

"Blindfold your original with his headband," he ordered one of the clones sharply.

The clone obeyed.

"Good, you will attack Naruto now. Naruto, defend yourself, or at least try to dodge his attacks. Listen to your surroundings like your team has taught you and extend your senses the same way you do it before you go to sleep."

Naruto nodded. "Okay."

"Get started."

The first Naruto clone led his original a bit further away and moments later both of them were engaged in a very one-sided spar.

Tobirama looked at the remaining clone. "You will work on your water affinity. I am going to show you a simple control exercise. Watch closely because I have only enough chakra left to show it once."

* * *

This evening Naruto fell into bed completely exhausted, only to have his jiji shoo him out again for dinner and a bath.

Groaning slightly, the boy forced himself to stand up again, grumbling half-heartedly about slave drivers.

Tobirama amicably inquired if Naruto wanted to take a nice evening jog.

The child cheerfully declined and made extra sure to eat all the vegetables.

* * *

The tension hung heavily over the room. Shisui felt suffocated under the judging looks of the clan's elders and the impassive expression on his clan head's face.

There was a very long moment of silence, and Shisui detested their tendency to play mind games. They were obsessed with showing their so-called power, even though many of them were way weaker than the current Uchiha on active service.

But despite his outgoing attitude, Shisui was not an easily impressed or cowed man. He was sure of himself and trusted in his abilities. He knew what he could and couldn't do.

Therefore, he simply waited patiently (or at least outwardly patient) until one elder deigned himself to speak.

It was the second eldest in the room that finally voiced the reason for this meeting.

"Shisui. Your reports on Itachi have been rather lacking in detail lately."

The young man bowed slightly in the direction of the clan elder. "There is not much to tell," Shisui answered carefully. "I have seen little of him for the last few weeks. Now that Itachi has been promoted to ANBU captain and is leading his own team, he is obligated to spend most of his time with them, doing his best to forge them into a unit. Not to mention the additional number of missions he had been sent to complete in order to make him gain more experience."

The elder sniffed. "He is still an Uchiha. He should be there for his clan."

"Perhaps," Shisui replied. "But the Uchiha are still officially part of Konoha. Itachi cannot disobey the Hokage's orders. Open defiance will not help us now."

"Shisui is correct," an old woman agreed. "We cannot make any obvious moves now or we will risk being discovered." She turned towards Shisui. "Continue keeping your eye on him. Report everything. No matter how trivial."

Shisui inclined his head. "I will."

"You can go."

The young man bowed again and left the room, exhaling in relief when the door closed behind him.

He had managed to buy some time.

They would live to see another day.

Smiling bitterly to himself, Shisui left to find Itachi.

* * *

Naruto threw a worried look at Owl. Somehow his friend did not seem to be his usual energetic self today. In fact, he appeared to be rather distracted. Or more precisely, he looked worried.

The child used the time during their training break to flop down next to him and scooted closer to man's side until their arms were touching.

For a moment Naruto pondered about what he should say. "Are you okay?" felt wrong because Owl was apparently not okay at all.

He worried needlessly because Owl was the first to speak up. "Say Hare…What would you do when you were faced with a difficult decision? A decision that will have a very big impact on lots of people?"

A difficult decision? Naruto frowned. Well, of course he'd ask Tobirama-jiji for help. He was good at thinking things through.

"Ask jiji what he thinks about it," Naruto answered honestly.

"The Hokage, hm…" Owl hummed thoughtfully. "And if he can't help you?"

"I'd ask you," the child replied immediately, not correcting his friend's wrong assumption. He was technically correct, after all.

The Owl mask quickly turned in his direction. " _Me_?" he repeated incredulously. "Why?"

"Because you are my friend." It was said in such a matter of fact and certain way that Owl could not help but laugh happily.

"Indeed, I am," he agreed, sounding way more like his usual self.

"And I am yours," Naruto added, just to make things clear. "So, whatever it is, I'd help you, too."

Owl brought his hand up to ruffle his hair. "You are a good kid. Can you do me a favor?"

Naruto nodded. "What is it?"

"Can you help me with looking after Itachi?" Owl sounded like he had come to a decision. "He has way too many responsibilities for a thirteen-year-old and nobody to share them with. There is an insane amount of pressure on him and he really could to with another close friend."

There was no need to ask for something like that. Naruto was more than happy to follow his wish. "Sure!" he declared. "I'll help you look after him. Let's go and get him some dango later. He loves that, right?"

Owl laughed and pulled his mask down to meet the child's eyes. "Yes, he does. Thank you…Naruto."

Naruto pushed his own one up and grinned. "Sure, Shisui!"

"Owl, Hare! Break is over. Let's see if we can't up your speed with the shunshin a bit."

Lion really had a terrible timing.

* * *

Tobirama frowned at the short exchange between Naruto and the Uchiha. What kind of difficult decision could he be facing, and why did he think the Hokage could not help him with it?

He mentally added further investigations into the Uchiha clan to his already full to-do list, right below training Naruto and above making Danzo pay.

As much as he desired revenge, he knew his priorities. Naruto's and the village's safety always had to come first.

Danzo could wait another day. Kagami's descendant worrying about something the village's leader could not help with, however, was something to be investigated swiftly. Especially since he had used _that_ tone.

Tobirama had heard it a few times before from his former student. It usually had been a sign that he was about to do something very selfless, albeit extremely idiotic.

He sighed quietly. Uchiha were always such trouble to deal with. Either they went mad and threatened the village, or they loved it so much they happily destroyed themselves for it.

Their passion never went well with his pragmaticism.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all those ideas you have been sending me and for taking the time to vote. I've been reading through all your ideas and came to two conclusions:
> 
>  **A:** Your training ideas are harsh enough to make me want to turn tail and run very far away. In fact, I am not letting you anywhere close to my personal training plan any time soon.
> 
>  **B:** You _really_ don't like Danzo. I approve completely. :D
> 
> I am also happy to note that most of your suggestions actually matched my own thoughts perfectly. It's nice to see that we are on the same page here.
> 
> **Thanks for your support and your lovely comments!**

**Author's Note:**

> To anyone interested, I actually have the habit of creating pictures and omakes / cut-scenes during and after the writing process, because I like being able to explore certain points a bit more. 
> 
> I don't want to leave them catching dust on my hard drive, so I will be collecting everything I accumulate here: [linewalkers.tumblr.com](https://linewalkers.tumblr.com)


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